Hampton County Lawyers

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.

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/

EDUCATION The John Marshall School of Law, Chicago, Illinois
AND LICENSES: Juris Doctorate, 1991

Honors: Elected to 1989 American Leadership Conference, Washington, D.C.
The James Madison Distinguished Service Award, The Federalist Society of America

Activities: President, The Federation of Federalist Societies of Chicago Law Schools
President, The Federalist Society of The John Marshall School of Law
Contributing Writer - Editor, The Decisive Utterance

Wittenberg University, Springfield, Ohio
Bachelor of Arts, Philosophy, 1984

Honors: Member of the National Philosophy Honor Society, Phi Sigma Tau

Attorney:
May, 2002 - Admitted to practice law in South Carolina
Present

November, 1991 - Admitted to practice law...

Bankruptcy counsel and representation. Wills, powers of attorney and probate filings or administration of estates.

Carl was born and raised in the upstate of South Carolina, but he has called Columbia home for the last 14 years. Born into a family of lawyers, Carl knew from a young age that he wanted to be a trial attorney and prides himself in helping others. After high school, Carl matriculated to the University of South Carolina where he graduated magna cum laude from The University of South Carolina Darla Moore School of Business in 2010 with a B.S. in Accounting. He graduated cum laude from The University of South Carolina School of Law in 2013. He received membership...

H. Ronald Stanley is a native of Conway, South Carolina and an accomplished graduate of Virginia State College and the University of South Carolina School of Law. Mr. Stanley is licensed to practice in both State and Federal Courts of South Carolina and before the United States Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals.

An accomplished Trial Lawyer, Mr. Stanley has been engaged in the practice of law in Columbia, South Carolina since 1977. He has handled numerous wrongful death and catastrophic personal injury cases resulting in significant jury verdicts and settlements for his clients. Mr. Stanley has served by special appointment as...

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...

Amy Cofield has practiced in the areas of Workers' Compensation, Probate and Estate Planning and Real Estate for 32 years. After teaching 5th grade in Anderson, SC, Amy attended the University of SC School of Law. After graduation Amy went into practice with her father, C. Thomas Cofield, III.

Prior to running her own firm, Beth Santilli practiced with Fleet Freeman for several years, eventually becoming his partner. She is an experienced advocate that has helped many clients facing legal challenges in the Lowcountry. She works diligently to draft corporate and estate documents that keep her clients out of court. When litigation is unavoidable, you can rely on her experience and knowledge in the courtroom. She has litigated several civil cases including business disputes, estate disputes and employer/employee matters. She regularly creates business entities and acts as outside corporate counsel. Beth has drafted numerous corporate documents and corporate processes,...

D. Summers Clarke has been recognized as a South Carolina Super Lawyers Rising Star, listed as a Top Rated Civil Litigation Attorney. She holds an AV preeminent Martindale-Hubbell rating, representing the highest level of professional excellence.

Summers Clarke concentrates her law practice in construction law, insurance defense and civil litigation.

Her full bio may be viewed on the firm website:
https://barnwell-whaley.com/attorneys/d-summers-clarke-ii/

Attorney Gary Heisterkamp received his both his A.A. and B.S. degrees in Criminal Justice from Clayton State University in 1994 and 2010, respectively. Originally from Atlanta, GA, Gary relocated to South Carolina to complete his Juris Doctorate from the Charleston School of Law, where he graduated in 2014 with honors. While in law school, Attorney Heisterkamp was an active member of the Student Bar Association, where he served as senator and President Pro Tempore, and also maintained membership in international legal society Phi Delta Phi. Additionally, Gary has worked as an Academic Success Fellow and a Teaching Fellow. He has...

Trucking defense; professional liability defense; complex litigation

Charleston business attorney Guy Dabbs concentrates his law practice in the areas of general business, corporate and transactional law, including matters related to commercial transactions, corporate management, commercial real estate, intellectual property and real property.

A full bio for Guy Dabbs may be viewed on the firm website:
https://barnwell-whaley.com/attorneys/guy-dabbs/

Jeff Bogdan has been selected by South Carolina Super Lawyers to the Rising Stars list every year since 2015 and in 2016 was listed as a Top Rated Business Litigation Attorney. Charleston Business Magazine named him to the lowcountry Legal Elite list in the area of tax and estate law in 2018 and 2019. He holds a Martindale-Hubbell Preeminent rating (the highest, formerly called AV).

A full bio for Jeff Bogdan may be viewed at the firm website at
https://barnwell-whaley.com/attorneys/jeffrey-bogdan/

As a third-generation attorney with enthusiasm for representing victims in personal injury claims, Gedney M. Howe IV looks forward to carrying out his Father and Grandfather’s philosophy of “doing justice and healing the minds of his clients.” Gedney was admitted to practice law in South Carolina in 2020. Since becoming a member of the Bar he has obtained significant recoveries in many complex cases through both verdicts and settlements in a variety of cases. Participating in intense litigation against defendants such as the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Department of Justice, and Dominion Energy. In his first year of practice Gedney has...

Micah Gunn, MS, JD, is a patent and trademark attorney with extensive experience handling domestic and international patent and trademark matters. Micah’s interdisciplinary background and command of both patents and trademarks at the highest level helps him to develop broad strategies for his clients that are aligned with their business objectives. Micah’s patent practice is primarily concentrated on the innovation that occurs in the intersection between chemistry and other fields. Micah has worked on genetically modified organisms, pharmaceutical products, nutraceuticals, therapeutic methods, chemical dyes, 3D printed and chemical signature anti-counterfeit technology, biochemistry, chemistry and material science, as well as machines with...

Recognized by The Best Lawyers in America for his handling of insurance law matters, Barnwell Whaley member attorney K. Michael Barfield concentrates his law practice in the areas of professional negligence, construction litigation, commercial litigation, property related litigation, personal injury and fractional ownership transactions .

A full bio for K. Michael Barfield may be viewed at the firm website:
https://barnwell-whaley.com/attorneys/k-michael-barfield/

Shannon Polvi’s legal career focuses on advocating for employees. Shannon is an experienced trial attorney in state, federal, and administrative courts. Shannon focuses on client needs throughout the litigation process. Although prepared to successfully present her client's case to a jury, Shannon is very aware of the high cost and risks of employment litigation. Shannon likes to explore the possibility of an early, cost-effective resolution of the dispute on terms favorable to the client. As such, she has earned a reputation as a pro-active litigator who provides high quality, responsive, and conscientious representation for her clients. Shannon's practice focuses on the employee/...

Kennedy was born and raised in Columbia, South Carolina. She attended the University of South Carolina and graduated in 2018. After college Kennedy moved to Birmingham, Alabama where she attended Cumberland School of Law. While there, she wrote for the American Journal of Trial Advocacy, interned for the Honorable Karon O. Bowdre for the United States District Court for the Northern District of Alabama, and received the Scholar of Merit for Mass Tort litigation. During her time at Cumberland, Kennedy served as the Public Interest Chair, an exec member for the South Carolina Student Bar Association and volunteered for Legal Services...