Marion Lawyers

David M. Smith is a native of South Carolina and has lived here the majority of his life. While spending 5 years in North Carolina gathering valuable professional experience, he knew it was only a matter of time before he would move back to the state he considers home, South Carolina. Mr. Smith received his B.A. in Visual Arts from Francis Marion University where he double-majored in Graphic Design and Photography. While at Francis Marion, Mr. Smith was an active member of the Alpha Tau Omega fraternity. After college, Mr. Smith worked as a graphic designer and then...

I handle all types of criminal cases as well as traffic cases. Divorce cases and custody cases are also in my area of practice, along with the preparation of Wills and Power of Attorney Documents for individuals.

Holly Saleeby Atkins is the founding member of the Atkins Law Firm and one of the most well-respected workers’ compensation attorneys in the state. Holly brings a unique perspective to the practice of Workers’ Compensation as she is one of a handful of lawyers in SC that has worked in every aspect of the Workers’ Compensation system—as a defense attorney, a Commissioner, and representing injured workers. Prior to being appointed to the South Carolina Workers’ Compensation Commission, Holly worked as a defense attorney for ten years representing insurance companies and employers in workers’ compensation matters. She was then...

Will focuses his practice on Estate Planning and Personal Injury cases. Will graduated from Wofford College in 2012 with a Bachelor of Arts in Business-Economics. After graduating college, Will attended the University Of South Carolina School Of Law and obtained his law degree in 2015. Will represents individuals who have been injured in motor vehicle accidents. Will also works with clients to create and implement estate plans, which includes wills, trusts, durable powers of attorney, healthcare powers of attorney and living wills.

A winning combination for success Experience. Intelligence. Ethics. Professionalism. You want a lawyer who embodies all of these qualities, and that’s the winning combination you find at Ervin Law Office. Attorney John M. Ervin is recognized in the community as an accomplished and effective trial attorney who gets results. When you turn to us, you can expect: • Clear communication. We know the legal system can be confusing and intimidating. Our staff is dedicated to providing you with the support you need in a friendly, client-centered environment. We clearly explain how the law can work for you in your...

Allyson Pittman was born and raised in the small town of Dillon, right on the South Carolina/North Carolina border. She attended the University of South Carolina and earned a Bachelor of Science in Marketing and Management, with a Criminal Justice minor. After graduating magna cum laude from USC, she attended Charleston School of Law. Upon graduating from Charleston School of Law, Allyson took a position working for the Public Defender’s Office for the Fourth Judicial Circuit in South Carolina. There she represented individuals who had been charged with low level to high level criminal charges. Allyson then left the...

Stacy Jo Townsend was born and raised in the small town of Williamstown, West Virginia. She attended Coastal Carolina University where she was a member of the National Honor Society for Leadership and Success, Triota Honor Society, Order of Omega Honor Society, and Phi Sigma Tau Honor Society. Stacy earned a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology, Criminology, and a minor in Pre-Law prior to attending law school. While in law school, Stacy worked for a real estate firm in Rock Hill, South Carolina as a real estate paralegal, client coordinator, and closing administrator. Working in multiple capacities while being studious provided...

Virginia grew up in Prince George, Virginia until she moved to South Carolina to attend the University of South Carolina, where she graduated magna cum laude in 2019 with a degree in Criminal Justice. After college she worked for the University of South Carolina before moving to Arkansas, where she graduated with honors from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, William H. Bowen School of Law in 2023. During law school she was a member of law review where she published an article in the UALR Law Review journal (Volume 45) and held leadership roles with multiple organizations. Outside of...

Hofler Law Firm provides tenacious representation of our clients for personal injury and domestic matters.

Jack attended law school at Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, NC. He clerked for a state Circuit Court judge for a year. He then spent years working for a respected law firm, where he was hired by insurance companies to represent their insureds in a variety of civil cases. This experience taught him about how insurance companies work, and it helped prepare him to represent injured people today.

Attorney B. Alex Hyman completed his undergraduate education in his home state of South Carolina, graduating from the University of South Carolina in 2002.While at the University of South Carolina, he was a member of the Kappa Sigma Fraternity and worked for Governor Jim Hodges as a staff intern.

After completing law school, Alex began working for the Honorable Edward B. Cottingham, Circuit Court Judge for the Fourth Judicial Circuit as a law clerk. After completing his clerkship, Alex began working for his father at the Law Office of Larry B. Hyman Jr. In 2008 Alex took over his father's law...

Byron David graduated with honors and received his juris doctor degree from the University of South Carolina. Before going to law school, Byron was the captain of a deep sea fishing boat operating off the Carolina coast.

Byron and his wife live in Horry County and are very involved in the community in Conway and Myrtle Beach. They founded and created the Davids' Diabetes Scholarship, awarding scholarship funds to local juvenile diabetics going to college.

Bar Admissions
South Carolina
United States Supreme Court
United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit
United States District Court for the District of South Carolina

Education
University of...

R. Lawton Harper concentrates his practice solely in Workers’ Compensation. Lawton was born and raised in Beaufort, South Carolina. He left home to attend Elon University in North Carolina, where he graduated in 2017 with a degree in History and Education. After college, he returned to the Lowcountry and served South Carolina as a social studies teacher and basketball coach at Summerville High School. He then enrolled at the University of South Carolina School of Law, where he graduated with honors in 2022. He is excited to once again be helping the people of South Carolina. In his free time, Lawton...

Joe was born and raised in Belton, South Carolina and comes from a long-line of working-class folks. From a young age, Joe has always been very competitive and very driven. He also strongly believes in the power of paying it forward. Joe cites his parents and many strong mentors in his life for giving him the tools necessary for success. The first male in his family to attend college, Joe played Division I football and was a team captain for two years while at Presbyterian College “PC”. Joe graduated from PC in 2013 with a major in...

Maggie Chappell practices in the areas of personal injury and mass torts. She has handled truck and auto accidents and catastrophic injury cases. She also works on the mass torts team which handles 3M combat earplug cases and talcum powder ovarian cancer cases, among many more. Maggie was born and raised in Inman, South Carolina. She moved just down the road to attend Wofford College and graduated in 2012 with a degree in English. After college, she worked as a legal assistant for Mark Arden before attending the University of South Carolina School of Law in 2015. Maggie was lucky to...

Michael Scott Large is a member of the Law Office of Deirdre W. Edmonds, PA. He graduated from Richard Stockton College with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1987 and earned his Juris Doctor degree from Temple University School of Law in 1991. Michael is admitted to practice law in South Carolina, Pennsylvania and New Jersey.


Prior to joining the Law Office of Deirdre W. Edmonds, Michael was the Elder Law unit head with South Carolina Legal Services. During his time there, Michael’s practice focused on the aging population and individuals with disabilities. He worked collaboratively with local community groups,...

Andrew Fajardo is an experienced workers’ compensation attorney who has argued cases and handled appellate work before the State Workers’ Compensation Commission and the appellate courts. He has focused his legal career almost exclusively in the field of workers’ compensation. Andrew joined Chappell, Smith & Arden in July of 2015. He brought with him innumerable skills and diverse experiences that have aided the firm in helping protect and compensate workers. In his spare time, Andrew enjoys playing classical piano. He also appreciates most anything associated with motor sports and spending time on outdoor activities such as hunting and...

Admitted to the bar of:
The State of South Carolina
U.S. Federal District Court for the District of South Carolina
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit

Memberships:
American Bar Association
South Carolina Bar
South Carolina Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers
Horry County Bar Association
American Association for Justice
National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers
National College for DUI Defense
Myrtle Beach Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers – Founding Member
National Rifle Association – Life Member
South Carolina State Constable Alliance
Southern States Police Benevolent Association
S.C. Concealed Weapons Instructors Association
Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association
South Carolina State Constable’s Alliance
American Radio Relay League (ARRL)

Activities:
Former Adjunct Professor at Horry-Georgetown Technical College
South Carolina Concealable Weapons Course Instructor
NRA...

For over 30 years, I've been helping South Carolinians that have been accused of criminal and traffic offenses get their day in court. I graduated from Valparaiso University School of Law, then clerked for Pike County (Kentucky) Circuit Judges Baird Colleton and Charles Lowe in Kentucky. I was a public defender in Orangeburg, SC. - fighting for clients that otherwise would have been worked through the system and jailed due to plea bargaining. My reputation for getting my clients in front of a jury of their peers rather than letting the prosecutors pressure them into a plea helped me build my...

As an attorney, David Baker focuses his practice on estate planning matters and helping those injured through the fault of others.

Prior to becoming an attorney, David worked for Verizon as a lineman in Brooklyn, NY for fifteen years: 1995 to 2010. While continuing to work full-time as a lineman, David attended Brooklyn Law School. Upon graduation in 2010, David relocated to Peoria, IL working at a small firm for four years. In 2014, David, his wife, Mary "Molly" Baker, a physician at Pawleys Island Pediatrics and Adult Medicine, and their son, Dominic, relocated to Pawleys Island.

From 2014...

Ryan Compton focuses his practice on representing people who have suffered significant injuries or death.

Prior to law school, Ryan graduated from The Citadel with a B.A. in political science. While at The Citadel, he was proudly appointed to numerous leadership positions including serving as a Battalion Commander. He earned his inclusion on the President’s List, the Commandant’s List, and the Dean’s List seven out of eight semesters. Ryan is the 2010 recipient of the Association of Military College’s President’s Award.

After earning his degree from The Citadel, Ryan attended the University of South Carolina School of Law on a merit scholarship....

Julian practices in his hometown of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina and can help both South Carolina and North Carolina individuals and businesses. This year he joined up with his father, Frank DuRant, to open the DuRant & DuRant, P.A. law firm.

Julian graduated from the University of South Carolina Honors College before attending Wake Forest's School of Law. After graduating from law school, Julian clerked for the Honorable Richard Voorhees, Western District of North Carolina. There, he experienced almost everything federal court has to offer—from civil and criminal trials to appellate designations in the Fourth and Eleventh Circuit Courts of Appeal....

Dewana grew up in Great Falls, South Carolina. She comes from a long line of textile workers and blue collar workers. If you ask anyone who knew her as a child, they will tell you that as far back as they can remember, Dewana wanted to be a lawyer and she worked hard to make that dream come true. In 2000, Dewana graduated Valedictorian from Great Falls High School. She then moved to the “big city” of Columbia and attended the University of South Carolina Honors College. A lifelong Gamecocks fan, Dewana fell in love...

Many different areas of experience including but not limited to personal injury, insurance, employment, homeowners associations, real estate litigation, construction/mechanic's liens, unfair trade practices, wrongful death, auto/motorcycle/truck accidents, slip and fall accidents, and criminal.

Dorsey was raised in Bayboro, South Carolina, a small community just outside of Conway. He attended Coastal Carolina University on an academic and athletic scholarship as a pitcher for the Chanticleer baseball team. After graduating from Coastal Carolina University with a degree in Finance, he worked briefly as a loan analyst at Conway National Bank before enrolling in law school at the Charleston School of Law. After graduating law school in 2010, Dorsey returned to Conway and began practicing in the areas of Criminal Defense and Family Law. Dorsey represented individuals facing criminal charges ranging from misdemeanors to high-level felonies. In...

Johnny Gardner is a dedicated trial attorney with years of courtroom experience. He began his legal career in 1992 as a Solicitor for the Fifteenth Judicial Circuit. This background provides Johnny with a unique perspective of the legal system that greatly assists in the preparation of criminal cases for trial. Three years later, he entered private practice and founded his own law firm. Johnny concentrates his practice primarily on DUI and Criminal Defense, and has tried many difficult, complex cases. He also is a seasoned Family Court lawyer and handles child custody, divorce, and juvenile offender cases on a regular...

Family law attorney David Wells makes his home in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, with his wife, Annie.

After attending Camden Military Academy (Camden, SC), and Lyman Ward Military Academy (Camp Hill, AL), David attended Valdosta State University where he studied philosophy, applied ethics, and criminal justice.

David’s life-long dream was to become an attorney. He attended and graduated from the Thomas M. Cooley School of Law (Michigan). During this time, David interned for the 15th Circuit Solicitor’s Office in Horry County, South Carolina.

Upon being admitted to the South Carolina bar, David worked with Coastal Law Firm, LLC, before launching Wells Law Firm....

Located at 702 Sea Mountain Highway, No. 4, North Myrtle Beach, SC 29582; Phone (843) 455-9069; Fax (843) 249-6446; Email: MarjorieSimerman@aol.com

Drew Brown founded this law firm in 2006. He believes strongly that his first and foremost role as an attorney is to advocate for his clients. At age 42, he is already an experienced trial lawyer who has appeared on behalf of clients in contested hearings in over 50 different courthouses throughout the Carolinas. In an era where cases often settle before litigation or at mediation, Drew Brown has repeatedly taken personal injury and business disputes to trial. Brown distastes wasted legal time in hourly matters as he believes reducing the attorney fee burden on the client can be as...

Edward A. Love was born in Charleston, South Carolina on March 3, 1978 and raised in Florence where he graduated from South Florence High School While attending the Citadel, The Military College of South Carolina, he was a member of the 2000 Summerall Guards, President of the Rugby Club, and earned a Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice in 2000. He received his Juris Doctor from the Walter F. George School of Law at Mercer University in 2003. While at Mercer, Ed participated in and coached for the Moot Court Board. He also served as Chief Justice of the Honor Court Upon...