Last week, the Yarborough Applegate team traveled to Columbia to participate in the South Carolina Association for Justice (SCAJ)’s 2024 Legislative Reception and annual Young Lawyers Seminar.
At the Legislative Reception, SCAJ members gathered with elected officials from the South Carolina House and Senate and their staff, while the Young Lawyers Seminar brought together trial lawyers from across the state for a day of top-notch legal education, programming, and networking. Yarborough Applegate was a sponsor of both events.
SCAJ YOUNG LAWYERS SEMINAR
Yarborough Applegate attorney Liam Duffy, chair of the Young Lawyers section, organized the daylong Young Lawyers Seminar and put together an impressive slate of trial lawyer speakers from across South Carolina. Duffy also offered opening remarks and emceed the event. The seminar was also an opportunity for other lawyer leaders on the Yarborough Applegate team to share trial-tested insights with our peers. As part of its programming, Partner David Yarborough presented on Tyger River demands, Insurance Bad Faith and Defaults, while attorney Perry Buckner gave a talk on Joint & Several Liability and offered a legislative update.
Buckner’s legislative update included the latest on Senate Bill 533—the so-called “Justice Act”—which sought to change state law regarding civil liability for criminal and reckless conduct. With major implications on the state’s civil justice system and ability for victims in a drunk driving wreck to pursue justice and be made whole, it’s a topic our firm has been watching closely. The bill was recently defeated during this legislative term, but is expected to be filed yet again next year. Yarborough Applegate plans to continue its efforts to defeat this type of legislation on behalf of South Carolina’s injured victims.
Also speaking during the Young Lawyers Seminar were Theile McVey of Kassel McVey, Kenny Berger of Law Office of Kenneth Berger, Carl Solomon of Solomon Law Group, Dirk Derrick of Derrick Law Firm, Mark Tinsley of Gooding & Gooding, and Ken Suggs of Janet, Janet, & Suggs.
YARBOROUGH APPLEGATE AND SCAJ
Duffy has served as chair of the Young Lawyers section of SCAJ since August 2020, and Buckner sits on its board of governors.
Powered by its membership of more than 1,500 trial lawyers, SCAJ is dedicated to preserving fairness under the law. We’re endlessly proud to be a part of an organization with an unwavering commitment to its mission. SCAJ fights tirelessly to protect the rights of the individual; seeks justice through open and fair courtrooms; resists unjust laws; supports policies that hold wrongdoers accountable; strengthens the civil justice system through education; and upholds the highest standards of ethical conduct and integrity in the legal profession. Learn more about SCAJ and its mission.
Just a few months into 2023, our team has already been on the ground at events around the state. Here’s a look at what we’ve been up to.
South Carolina Association for Justice’s 2023 Annual Convention brought trial attorneys from across the state together for three days of legal seminars and professional networking on Hilton Head Island.
The seminar was devoted to sharing and collaborating on strategies for discovery, depositions, and trial and included a star-studded lineup of trial lawyers recruited by Duffy from across South Carolina and the country.
Legislation currently pending before South Carolina’s General Assembly would fundamentally alter our state’s civil justice system and make it harder for innocent victims to pursue justice and be made whole. Our firm is closely watching Senate Bill 533, and in the most recent issue of SCAJ’s Justice Bulletin, Yarborough Applegate attorney Perry Buckner explores what it means for victims.
The organization’s motto, “Advocates for Fairness Under the Law,” illustrates the simple mission of trial lawyers serving those who they have sworn to protect.
Last month, Yarborough Applegate joined attorneys from across the state for the South Carolina Association for Justice Annual Convention