Johnsonville Lawyers

Todd M. Hess: Professional Engineer. Certified Financial Planner. Patent Attorney. NC Intellectual Property Mediator.

Todd Hess primarily concentrates his law practice in the North Carolina and South Carolina markets in all areas of intellectual property. He is additionally licensed to practice law in Georgia, and in federal court with the United States Patent and Trademark Office.

He brings over a decade of intellectual property experience to Barnwell Whaley, particularly in counseling start ups in the pharmaceutical and specialty chemical industries as well as the craft brewing industry.

Criminal law, federal courts, state courts, appeals, habeas.

I've been representing children with special needs and their families in legal matters against public school districts for over 12 years. I fight for SPED students in 504 plan meetings, IEP meetings, Manifestation Determination Review hearings, and, when parents aren't satisfied with what the school offers or decides, in Due Process Hearings. I'm an experienced, comfortable and assertive litigator. I speak fluent Spanish, having lived and worked in South America (Bolivia) for a few years prior to deciding to become a lawyer. I love my Latino clients and enjoy elevating their voices and issues , which are often disregarded. I also represent...

My name is Elizabeth Franklin-Best and I am an attorney who focuses on criminal appellate law and federal criminal law. I started at the Richland County Public Defender’s office where I worked alongside some of the most passionate lawyers in this profession. Later, I worked at the South Carolina Commission on Indigent Defense, Appellate Division where I studied and analyzed hundreds of different cases, and gained valuable experience arguing in the South Carolina Supreme Court and the Court of Appeals. I spent 7 years as a partner in the law firm of Blume Franklin-Best & Young, LLC focused on capital...

Jane Downey is has been certified specialist in bankruptcy and debtor creditor law with the South Carolina Supreme Court since 1996. She is a member of the ABI, NACBA, SC Bar, SC Womens' Law Association and the SC Bankruptcy Law Association. She accepts creditor and debtor cases, both in consumer and business bankruptcies and has been practicing bankruptcy law since 1990. She is a frequent speaker, particuarly on bankruptcy and domestic law. Visit her website at www.downeylaw.com or email her at jane@mttlaw.com.

Bill Condon is an attorney and a CPA. He has practical experience in private industry as well as in federal, state, and local governments. He provides quality legal services and is reliable.

Jordan is a Midlands native who focuses on Real Estate Law. Jordan grew up in Camden and moved to Columbia to become a Gamecock at the University of South Carolina. Chances are you may have run into Jordan and his wife Samantha around town or in Chapin where they reside with their dog Tucker. Jordan concentrates his practice in real estate matters, including real estate transactions, title issue resolution, and contract review and drafting. While obtaining dual Bachelor degrees in Real Estate and Finance at the University of South Carolina, Jordan worked for a number of property management...

Paula Howker Amick attended Erskine College where she received a B.A. in English and graduated summa cum laude in 1989. For her J.D. Degree, She attended University of South Carolina School of Law and graduated in 1992. Since 1996, Paula has practiced primarily in the fields of personal injury and workers’ compensation. She began on the team at George Sink, P.A. Injury Lawyers in 1999 in the Columbia office.

Attorney David Blackwell is dedicated to helping people whose lives have been affected by the negligence of others. Serving clients is a responsibility he takes seriously, and David is grateful that he is able to use his skills and knowledge to find positive legal solutions and rewarding outcomes for individuals and families. In 2003, David initiated his own law practice. David’s areas of focus include auto accidents, motorcycle accidents, wrongful death, slip and falls, unsafe premises, workplace injuries, and probate litigation. He has years of experience with the litigation process, including evidentiary hearings, trials, discovery, mediation, settlement negotiations,...

Michael A. Monastra joined the Law Offices of Gedney M. Howe, III, P.A. after serving as a law clerk to the Honorable Roger M. Young,Sr., Circuit Court Judge for the Ninth Judicial Circuit. During law school, Michael was an active Moot Court Board Member, competing in the Philip C. Jessup International Moot Court Competition, and was selected as a student member of the James L. Petigru Inn of Court. In addition to those activities, Michael worked at the Law Offices of Gedney M. Howe, III, P.A. Before law school, Michael worked as a paralegal for a lien resolution firm in...

Andrew Copenhaver devotes his practice to the representation of individuals and families harmed by defective products, motor vehicle accidents, nursing home abuse and neglect, premises injuries and other incidents involving negligence in products liability, personal injury and wrongful death cases. Mr. Copenhaver currently serves as counsel in several catastrophic and fatal injury cases throughout Georgia and South Carolina and is responsible for all aspects of litigation from initial pleadings to trial. He is also involved in several class actions in Georgia and states throughout the country. Prior to joining Bell & Brigham, Mr. Copenhaver clerked for the Honorable Dudley H. Bowen,...

Lara N. Browne is an attorney at the Steinberg Law Firm, focusing on workers’ compensation law. Before joining the firm, she served as Legal Counsel for a large self-insured healthcare organization in the Lowcountry, managing a workers’ compensation program for over 6,000 employees. Her background includes extensive defense-side experience, having represented employers, insurance carriers, and third-party administrators at a major defense firm. This insight allows her to navigate cases strategically on behalf of injured workers. After a decade on the defense side, Lara transitioned to representing injured workers, finding fulfillment in advocating for their rights and alleviating their stress. A graduate...

It is my goal to give each case the attention to detail it needs. I will not take on new cases at the expense of existing clients. The reality is there are only so many hours in a week. If I take on hundreds cases, I have less time to spend on each case than if I take on 25. If you want an attorney that will give you the attention you deserve, that can speak to you without a lot of legal jargon, that’s down-to-earth, and enjoys helping people, then please call 843-970-2929.

Cole Lawrimore was born and raised on his family’s tobacco farm in the rural, Pleasant Hill community of Georgetown County. As the son of a school administrator, Cole’s family moved frequently throughout the State of South Carolina with stops in Georgetown, Mt. Pleasant, Walhalla, and Newberry. Cole graduated from Newberry High School and attended Wofford College on an academic scholarship. In between attending social events, Cole was a Dean’s List student and the Vice Chairman of the Honor Council. After graduating from Wofford with a degree in accounting, Cole attended the Charleston School of Law. During his time there, Cole was...

Jessica L. Cleary received her B.A. from Westfield State College in 1997 and received her J.D. from Roger Williams University School of Law in 2000. She went before the court, for 8 years, representing disabled Veterans and their dependents in pursuit of VA compensation. Jessica is admitted to practice before the United States Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit and the United States Supreme Court and is a member of the Rhode Island Bar. She has been accredited by the VA since May 2009. In 2014 Jessica was recognized in...

Ralitsa François was born in Livingston, New Jersey but spent most of her life in Buford, Georgia. She is the daughter and descendant of Haitian immigrants and is very proud of her Haitian heritage. Ralitsa graduated from Queens University of Charlotte, cum laude, where she obtained a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science with minors in Pre-Law and Psychology. There, she balanced being a student-athlete where she served as an executive member of the National Political Science Honor Society, Pi Sigma Alpha, and was a co-captain and member of the Queens University of Charlotte Cheerleading Team. After college, Ralitsa worked in...

Reid, a Charleston real estate attorney, handles all of the firms real estate transactions. Reid assists individuals, families, and investors in navigating the complicated and detailed process of buying and selling real property. Reid is a licensed title insurance agent with Chicago Title Insurance Company and is experienced in handling all types of real estate litigation and real estate transactions involving real property including buying, selling, leasing, refinance and 1031 exchanges.

Reid also practices in the areas of estate planning and probate administration, probate and estate litigation, business succession planning, asset protection, commercial litigation, and other business law matters....

J.D., High Honors, George Washington University Law School.
Ph.D., Chemistry, The Johns Hopkins University.
B.S., Chemistry, Juniata College (Huntingdon, PA) and Leeds University (England)

Thrive IP, Managing Member, since 2005.
Finnegan, Henderson, Farabow, Garrett & Dunner, L.L.P., 1997-2005.

Dr. Stipkala serves clients in all aspects of intellectual property law, from evaluating freedom to operate to securing patents, trademarks, and copyrights, to providing strategic advice regarding trade secrets and managing intellectual property for strategic business advantage.

Born in Charleston, Louis P. Herns is proud to represent clients from all over his hometown. He has been practicing law for 30 years, giving him a strong grasp on the laws surrounding personal injury and general negligence matters. Mr. Herns has been recognized with an AV Preeminent® rating, which is the highest rating a legal professional can be awarded from Martindale-Hubbell®. He focuses his practice on product liability, toxic torts, and general negligence matters. Over the decades he has been representing injury victims, he has secured countless positive case results. Mr. Herns is a passionate legal advocate for his...

Charleston South Carolina attorney David S. Cox is recognized in Chambers USA, Super Lawyers and Charleston Business Magazine for his work in the areas of business law, commercial litigation, products liability and intellectual property.

His full bio may be viewed on the firm website:
https://barnwell-whaley.com/attorneys/david-cox/

Jeremy Bowers: business analyst, adviser, counselor.

Master of Science, Accounting.

Listed as a 2016 South Carolina Super Lawyers Rising Star as a Top Rated Professional Liability Attorney in Charleston, SC, Jeremy Bowers focuses his law practice in the areas of professional malpractice, commercial litigation, trade secrets, and land development disputes. He has also counseled numerous local and national businesses and entrepreneurs in trade secret, breach of contract, fraud, landlord/tenant, and other commercial disputes.

Please see the firm website for a full bio:
https://barnwell-whaley.com/attorneys/jeremy-bowers/

Amy has worked with Strom Law Firm since 2006 and practices primarily from the firm’s Spartanburg, SC office. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in journalism from the University of South Carolina in Spartanburg in 1995 and a Juris Doctor degree from University of South Carolina School of Law in 2001. While at USC Law, Amy served as vice president of the Student Bar Association and wrote for the South Carolina Environmental Law Journal. As a member of the Moot Court Bar, she was captain of the ABA National Appellate Advocacy Competition Team, trained against Assistant United States Attorneys at...

In 2018, Matthew graduated from the University of South Carolina School of Law, ranking fourth in his law school class. During his time in law school, Matthew served as an Associate Editor-in-Chief for the South Carolina Law Review, where he authored a published article entitled State of Fear: Domestic Violence in South Carolina. Matthew was also inducted into the Order of the Coif and received the 2018 John O. MacDougall Family Law Award. After graduating law school, Matthew spent two years serving as a law clerk to the Honorable John D. Geathers at the South Carolina Court of Appeals. Matthew joined Strom...