Alex Heaton

Alex grew up in Orangeburg and graduated magna cum laude from the University of South Carolina Honors College with a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism and Mass Communications and a Minor in Political Science. After college, Alex began her career as a broadcast journalist and worked for several years as a news producer, investigative reporter, and anchor at television stations in Conway and Charleston. Her work spanned the Southeast and earned several Emmy nominations and state awards for outstanding coverage.

Meanwhile, Alex attended the Charleston School of Law to build on her skillset as a journalist and find a new way to give a voice to those in need. While a law student, Alex served as a teaching fellow in the legal writing department, was active in the school’s oral advocacy programs, and served as a vice president of the moot court board. She participated in several local, regional, and national appellate and trial advocacy competitions, winning awards for best advocacy at each. Alex continues to support Charleston School of Law’s advocacy programs by coaching trial teams each semester.

Following law school, Alex clerked for The Honorable Jennifer B. McCoy, a circuit court judge in Charleston County, before entering private practice in 2019 with an emphasis on insurance defense, personal injury, and premises liability.

Alex joined the Yarborough Applegate team in October 2021 to shift her focus to representing people who have been injured due to the negligence of others. Alex was part of the trial team that obtained a $44.6 million jury verdict against Amazon.com, Inc., including $30 million in punitive damages against the e-commerce giant. This was the first ever case to hold Amazon vicariously liable under an agency theory for the negligent acts of its delivery associates.

In addition to the landmark verdict against Amazon, Alex was recently part of the Yarborough Applegate team that secured a $16 million settlement for the parents of a six-month-old infant who died after being improperly placed on his side for a nap at an Upstate South Carolina daycare The settlement is believed to be the largest in an infant wrongful death case in the state. Since joining Yarborough Applegate, Alex has helped obtain more than $100 million in verdicts and settlements for her clients.

Alex is member of the Charleston County Bar Association and is licensed in state and federal courts in both South Carolina and North Carolina.