Ruffin Lawyers

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,...

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...

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.

Mr. McDougall entered the University of South Carolina School of Law in Fall 1991. While at the USC School of Law, Mr. McDougall made the Dean's List and engaged in a number of independent legal studies in his particular areas of interest. Mr. McDougall remained involved in a number of Legal Societies. As a member of the Student Chapter of the SC Trial Lawyers Association, Mr. McDougall was the Legal Research Coordinator for the Association. During Law School, Mr. McDougall clerked for Furr & Henshaw, a firm specializing in Medical Malpractice. In addition to Medical Malpractice issues, Mr. McDougall gained exposure...

Admitted in South Carolina and Georgia

Board Certified by the American Board of Professional Liability Attorneys in Legal Malpractice

Practice concentrated in lawyer professional responsibility matters (plaintiff lawyer-malpractice claims, ethics consultations, law-firm dissolutions, and lawyer moves between firms).

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...

John Paul is an associate in the Lovely Law Firm’s Goose Creek, South Carolina office. He received two separate B.S. degrees in Marketing and Finance from Clemson University in 2011. After graduating from Clemson University, Mr. Simkovich attended the University of South Carolina School of Law where he completed his Juris Doctor in 2014.

Marissa Fish received her J.D. from the University of Massachusetts School of Law-Dartmouth, where she graduated magma cum laude. Before Law school, Marissa received her M.S in Criminal Justice from Charleston Southern University. Having grown up in a military family and marrying into the military, Marissa has lived in many places. She was born in Maryland, but now calls South Carolina home, residing in the Aiken area with her husband.

Patrick T. Napolski attended Clemson University where he was on the Dean’s List. Patrick then went to Charleston School of Law. While at Law school, he was a member of Student Trial Lawyers Association and American Bar Association Committee, among other activities. Outside of work, Patrick is a judge for various moot court and mock trial competitions, a member of the South Carolina Bar Association’s Professional Development Committee, and a mentor in Charleston School of Law’s Mentoring Program. Patrick is licensed to practice law in Illinois, South Carolina, and the U.S. District Court for the District of South Carolina.

Dane is a native of North Augusta, South Carolina and attended Aquinas High School in Augusta, Georgia. He received his undergraduate degree from The Citadel where he was actively engaged in cadet leadership roles and a member of the football team. His pursuit of a legal career led him to the University of South Carolina School of Law. It was during Dane’s second year of law school that he began clerking for NMJ. Upon graduating and passing the bar exam, Dane joined the firm as an associate attorney. When not at work, he enjoys spending time with family and friends, playing...

31 years experience in Elder Law & Estate Planning (NJ & SC) 130+ google reviews Traditional Estate Planning and Medicaid Planning, Probate & Trust Administration and Probate Litigation

Prior to founding Miller|Conway, David worked as an attorney for a Chicago, Illinois based boutique trial law firm, which was retained by some of the largest law firms in the world to litigate multi-million dollar disputes between Fortune 500 companies. He also worked as a consultant on numerous highly litigious, high-value cases. David also worked with Corporate Counsel for the Law Department of the City of Chicago where he defended the City of Chicago against Section 1983 claims. David gained invaluable trial experience assisting a team of attorneys in a highly-publicized matter involving an Illinois State Senator. David’s team achieved...

Gary C. Pennington has enjoyed a varied and diversified practice, including the deployment of wireless infrastructure and technology; commercial real estate transactions; zoning and land use planning; drafting zoning ordinances related to wireless infrastructure; in-building connectivity agreements; utility and fiber agreements; broadband deployment; software agreements for technology companies; and telecom agreements for the delivery of telecom services. Mr. Pennington founded the Pennington Law Firm, LLC in Columbia, SC in 1995. After selling most of the business to a competitor law firm, he downsized the Firm and relocated to Beaufort, South Carolina in 2019. Commercial Real Estate. Practice Areas: Mergers & Acquisitions. Distributed Antenna...

Trip was born and raised in Charleston, SC. He graduated from the College of Charleston (B.A., 1992) and from Golden Gate University School of Law in California (J.D., 1999). In 1998, Trip was selected into the Honors Program with the Department of Justice as a third year law student where he worked for the U.S. Attorneyâs Office in San Francisco and had the unique opportunity to prosecute cases in the drugs, guns and explosives unit. After graduation and upon passing the California Bar, Trip worked in the legal department of Siebel Systems, Inc. in Silicon Valley where he negotiated and managed...