Speaker Biographies

Our Distinguished Speakers for Super CLE 2025

stasmayer_inc_logo.pdf
File Size:	78 kb
File Type:	pdf

Download File

The CLEs will be held at the Hilton Head Country Club, Hilton Head Plantation, 70 Skull Creek Drive, Hilton Head Island, SC. Please allow a few extra minutes for the security gate pass. Please tell security you are going to the country club for the Hilton Head Bar meeting.

Lee Anne Walters, Esquire, Ed.M.

Before attending law school, Lee Anne Walters worked with children and families in Charleston as a counselor and clinical director. She holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Psychology from Clemson University and a Master's Degree in Human Development and Education from Harvard University Graduate School of Education. Her graduate work focused on the concepts of risk and resilience.

Lee Anne has been a civil litigator for the past 20 years. She began her practice with a large plaintiff's firm, representing individuals and institutional investors in securities fraud and other class action litigation. She also practiced with several small firms including Duffy & Young in Charleston and Twenge and Twombley in Beaufort before opening her own practice. She is admitted to practice in South Carolina's state and federal courts and is a certified mediator.

Senator Tom Davis, Esquire

Sen. Tom Davis has lived in Beaufort, South Carolina, since 1985, practicing law at the firm of Harvey & Battey, P.A. He is the managing partner in the firm's real estate department. Sen. Davis obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree from Furman University in 1982, graduating magna cum laude and as a member of Phi Beta Kappa. He obtained a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Maryland School of Law in 1985, graduating with highest honors and as a member of the Order of the Coif, and receiving the Simon E. Sobeloff Prize for outstanding constitutional law scholarship.
He served in Gov. Mark Sanford’s administration as senior policy advisor, co-chief of staff, deputy chief of staff and chief of staff from 2003 to 2007. During his time with the governor’s administration, Sen. Davis led the State of South Carolina’s successful negotiations with the State of Georgia to co-develop a new port on the Savannah River in Jasper County.
In November 2008, Sen. Davis was elected State Senator for South Carolina Senate District 46, which is comprised of almost all of the southern Beaufort County, a portion of northern Beaufort County, and a portion of Jasper County; he was re-elected to second and third four-year terms in 2012 and 2016.
In recognition of his legislative services, Sen. Davis has received awards from a broad range of public advocacy groups, including the South Carolina Club for Growth and the South Carolina Association of Taxpayers (for fiscal conservatism), the Conservation Voters of South Carolina and Sierra Club South Carolina (for protecting the environment), the Public Charter School Alliance of South Carolina (for promoting increased choice in education), and the American Association of Nurse Practitioners and the South Carolina Public Health Association (for increasing access to healthcare).
Sen. Davis currently serves on the following committees in the South Carolina Senate: Finance; Banking and Insurance; Labor, Commerce and Industry; Medical Affairs Furman University in 1

O. Edworth Liipfert, III Esquire

Worth Liipfert focuses his practice on governmental agency defense, construction litigation, personal injury litigation, workers’ compensation, premises liability, and appellate advocacy.
He represents clients throughout the 14th Judicial Circuit, which includes Allendale, Beaufort, Colleton, Hampton and Jasper counties in state court and federal court proceedings, including state and federal courts of appeals.
Mr. Liipfert is a certified circuit court mediator.
He joined the firm right after graduating from law school in 2004, and he has been a partner since 2012.

Bar Admissions

South Carolina Bar
U.S. District Court, District of South Carolina

Education

University of South Carolina School of Law, Juris Doctor, 2004
- Served as articles editor on the American Bar Association Real Property, Probate and Trust Journal and on the Student Bar Association
- Member of the Palmetto Legal Society throughout law school
University of North Carolina, Bachelor of Arts in English and Psychology, 2000
Woodberry Forest High School, 1996

Associations

South Carolina Defense Trial Attorneys Association
South Carolina Policy Council
Defense Research Institute

Stephanie Brinkley, Esquire

Founder and Owner of Brinkley Law Firm, LLC, in Charleston and Greenville, South Carolina, Stephanie Brinkley focuses her practice on the complex area of Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART) and related legal issues impacting future families. She is the current Chair of the Assisted Reproduction Technology (ART) Committee for the American Bar Association and manages its successful mentorship program. Her professional memberships also include the Academy of Adoption and Assisted Reproduction Attorneys (AAAA), the American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM), Resolve, and the Society for Ethics in Egg Donation and Surrogacy (SEEDS). As a guest speaker, Stephanie has presented before members of the South Carolina Bar and the American Bar Association, as well as abroad through the Paris Bar Association and International Surrogacy Forum. She is also the co-author of Developing a Successful Assisted Reproduction Technology Law Practice, written with colleague Richard B. Vaughn, published by the American Bar Association.
As part of her practice, Stephanie represents clients throughout South Carolina seeking to build their families through surrogacy and/or gamete donation. She is also called upon to represent gestational carriers who have offered their services. With greater frequency, Stephanie is consulted to advise families transitioning divorce after creating children through third-party reproduction. Parental disputes arising from genetic relationships (or lack thereof), same-sex legal parentage issues, misapplication of medical consent forms, and ownership rights of unused embryos are rising among divorce litigants.
Memberships Include:

American Bar Association, Chair, ART Committee – Section of Family Law
Academy of Adoption & Assisted Reproduction Attorneys (AAAA), Fellow
South Carolina Women Lawyers Association
South Carolina State Bar
South Carolina Family Law American Inn of Court
Charleston County Bar Association
Greenville County Bar Association
International Fertility Law Group, Inc., Of Counsel for South Carolina
Resolve: The National Infertility Association, Professional Member
Society for Ethics in Egg Donation and Surrogacy (SEEDS), Professional Member

The Honorable Tarita Dunbar, Family Court Judge

Judge Tarita A. (Ridgill) Dunbar was born in Manning, South Carolina and raised in Summerton, South Carolina. She is the daughter of Roland Hayes and Clotel Ragin Richburg and the late William Nelson Ridgill. She is a graduate of Manning High School, Georgetown University and the University Of South Carolina School Of Law.
After law school, Tarita started her legal career in private practice in Columbia, South Carolina practicing in the area of domestic relations. Shortly thereafter, Tarita served as the Director of Research and Legal Counsel for the South Carolina Senate Committee on Corrections and Penology. Her legal career also includes serving as an Attorney for the South Carolina Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation; Attorney for Spartanburg and Cherokee County Department of Social Services; and Attorney for South Carolina Department of Social Services Child Support Division.
Tarita was appointed to serve as a Commissioner to the South Carolina Human Affairs Board of Commissioner. She also served on the Board of Eau Claire Cooperative Health Centers, Inc., Columbia, South Carolina.
Tarita is a member of Augusta Road Church of Christ, Greenville, South Carolina, where she has served as Sunday School Teacher.
She enjoys exercising at the Caine Halter YMCA, reading, and hiking. Tarita is passionate about other’s health in terms of eating properly and using nature’s remedies for healing.

The Honorable Garrison Hill, Supreme Court Justice

D. Garrison "Gary" Hill was born in Greenville, South Carolina in 1964. His late father, Leo H. Hill, was former president of the South Carolina Bar; his late mother, Dr. Grace L. Hill, was a teacher and school psychologist. He has a sister, Lillian H. Pinto, and a brother, L. Howard Hill, Jr.

Justice Hill received a B.A. degree magna cum laude from Wofford College in 1986, and his juris doctor from USC Law School in 1989, where he was a member of the South Carolina Law Review.

After graduation from law school, he served as law clerk to Judge Billy Wilkins of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit. From 1990 to 2000, he was a member of Hill, Wyatt & Bannister, a general civil and criminal practice law firm in Greenville. In 2000, he and his father started Hill & Hill, LLC, which was listed in the Martindale-Hubbell Bar Register of Pre-Eminent Lawyers. The firm primarily handled business litigation, government law, and public utility law including the representation of numerous special purpose districts throughout the state.

From 2004 to 2017, he served as a resident Circuit Judge for the Thirteenth Circuit. On February 1, 2017, he was elected to the Court of Appeals. On February 8, 2023, he was elected an associate justice of the Supreme Court.

Justice Hill served in the House of Delegates of the South Carolina Bar and as president of the Government Law Section. He is also the former editor-in-chief of the South Carolina Lawyer and the author of several legal articles. He and his father published Doing the Public's Business, a legal guide designed to assist lay members who serve on the boards of public bodies.

While in private practice, he served on the boards of the Greenville Literacy Association, Greenville Mental Health Association, YMCA Camp Greenville, and as chairman of the City of Greenville Board of Zoning Appeals.

He has three children and is a member of Westminster Presbyterian Church.

Michael Virzi, Esquire

Michael Virzi is a father, runner, cyclist, foodie, and former Rubik’s Cube Champion of Westgate Mall. He is a two-time alum of South Carolina’s flagship university, graduating once with honors and twice with student-loan debt. He competed on USC’s intercollegiate rugby and mountain biking teams, earned a yellow star from eBay for achieving a feedback score of 10, and was once named the “Conch King of South Florida.” Michael is a former prosecutor for the South Carolina Supreme Court’s Office of Disciplinary Counsel and currently practices exclusively in the areas of lawyer ethics and discipline. His work as an expert witness in legal malpractice cases has led to appearances on Court TV and feature roles in true crime documentaries on HBO, Discovery ID, and Oxygen True Crime. Along with his solo law practice, Michael has been teaching courses in legal writing, ethics, professionalism, and law practice management at the Joseph F. Rice School of Law for the past eighteen years. He is a frequent public speaker, locally and nationally, and a less frequent author of articles about lawyer ethics. His LDLs hover around 100 and he rarely gets sick, but time stops for no one. Michael is fully vaccinated. He wishes everyone knew the truth about split infinitives, artificial sweeteners, 52 factorial, and spacing after periods. Michael is truly grateful to be here and continually wonders how many people read speaker bios.

Lisa Hostetler Brown, Esquire

Lisa Hostetler Brown is the Managing Attorney of LawyerLisa, LLC, serving the entire state of South Carolina from locations in Irmo and Aiken (Midlands), Simpsonville (Upstate), Bluffton and Mt. Pleasant (Lowcountry). LawyerLisa concentrates on elder law, long-term care planning, asset protection, probate avoidance, trust and estate planning, and life care planning. The firm’s focus is to better serve aging clients in an easy to understand and accessible manner that eases the burdens of navigating the various aging milestones. Lisa has been recognized for consecutive years by Super Lawyers as a Rising Star, by Best Lawyers for elder law, by the Legal Elite for estate planning, by the Free Times as Best Estate Planning Attorney, and Lisa most recently received the Gold Compleat Lawyer Award for her significant contributions to the legal profession and highest standard of professional competence.
Lisa is certified as a specialist Elder Law Attorney by the National Elder Law Foundation. This is a designation in the legal field signifying a higher level of expertise in elder law. Lisa is one of only five with this designation in the state of South Carolina. Through various speaking engagements, LawyerLisa is committed to informing and empowering the public to make choices about asset protection, trusts, estate planning, and Life Care Planning.

Cindy Coker, Esquire

A lawyer by training and a teacher by genetics, Cindy Coker is the Public Services Director for the S.C. Bar. Ms. Coker is a 1988 graduate of University of South Carolina School of Law. She also received her A.A. from Emmanuel College (1979) and her B.A. from Francis Marion College (1982). Prior to attending law school, Ms. Coker was a middle school social studies teacher. Ms. Coker has taught at Florence Darlington Technical College, where she was recognized as the Outstanding Faculty Member in 1991, and the University of South Carolina, College of Criminal Justice and, most recently, as an adjunct at the USC School of Law. She first joined the Bar staff in 1992 as the Law Related Education Director and became the Public Services Director in 2001. She briefly left the Bar to serve as in-house counsel for a local corporation before returning to the Bar in March 2009 to launch the Mentor Program. She resumed the role of Public Services Director in June 2009. She is also a breast cancer survivor, an avid Gamecock fan, the world’s greatest aunt and honorary grandmother to two of the smartest little boys on the planet.

Ben Shelton, Esquire

Ben Shelton is the founder of Shelton Law Firm, LLC. Prior to starting his own firm he was a partner at Finger, Melnick & Brooks and a career criminal prosecutor for Beaufort County with the14th Circuit Solicitor's Office of South Carolina. He is dedicated to resolving complex personal injury and criminal cases, insurance problems and business disputes. Ben graduated from The Charleston School of Law in 2008 and Guilford College in 2001 with a B.A. in Music (Classical Vocal Performance).

Kathleen Stringer, Esquire

Kathleen Stringer is an associate attorney at Brinkley Law Firm, LLC, in Charleston, South Carolina, where she focuses her practice on family law and fertility law. She represents clients in a wide range of matters including divorce, military divorce, child custody and visitation, child support, alimony, adoption, and assisted reproduction. Kathleen brings a compassionate, detail-oriented, and client-centered approach to every case, guiding individuals and families through some of life’s most pivotal transitions.
Before joining Brinkley Law Firm, Kathleen served as a law clerk to the Ninth Circuit Family Court of South Carolina. During her two-year clerkship, she worked closely with family court judges on complex divorce, custody, and family-building cases. This invaluable experience gave her unique insight into the inner workings of the court and a deep appreciation for the emotional and procedural challenges faced by litigants. After witnessing firsthand the ups and downs families experience in court, she was inspired to become an advocate—to help clients not only achieve the best legal outcome but also navigate the process with clarity and confidence.
Kathleen is especially passionate about the evolving legal landscape of family formation and reproductive rights. She provides personalized legal guidance that aligns with each client’s goals, values, and circumstances—whether they are building a family through adoption or assisted reproduction, or restructuring their lives through divorce or custody proceedings.
Kathleen earned her J.D. from the University of South Carolina School of Law, where she participated in a clinic that supported survivors of domestic violence. She holds a bachelor’s degree in English with a minor in Writing Pedagogy from Clemson University (Go Tigers!). A native of Lexington, South Carolina, she is proud to serve families across the Lowcountry.
When she’s not practicing law, Kathleen enjoys reading, traveling, relaxing with her family, and spending time with her dog.
Memberships Include:

South Carolina Family Law American Inn of Court
South Carolina State Bar
Charleston County Bar Association

Tyler Melnick, Esquire

A South Carolina native, Tyler represents clients in the areas of personal injury, medical malpractice and driving under the influence he has appeared on behalf of clients in the Court of Common Pleas, District of S.C., Federal and the S.C. Court of appeals.

Tyler began his legal career on Hilton Head Island as a litigation attorney where he litigated automobile accident cases, premises liability cases and medical malpractice claims. He has negotiated settlements for clients ranging from minor traffic accidents to multi-million dollar catastrophic injuries and brings a well-rounded and diverse legal background to the firm. As a partner of the firm, he has managed and negotiated cases involving catastrophic orthopedic damages and traumatic brain injuries as well as defended numerous individuals accused of driving under the influence (DUI).

He is AV Rated Preeminent by Martindale-Hubbell and holds an "Excellent" rating from AVVO.
  Areas of Practice

    Litigation
    Automobile Collisions
    Medical Malpractice
    Premise Liability/Slip and Fall
    Bad Faith Insurance Claims

Bar Admissions

    South Carolina, 2006
    U.S. District Court District of South Carolina, 2008

Education

    Mississippi College School of Law, Jackson, Mississippi
       J.D. - 2006
       Honors: Phi Delta Phi Legal Fraternity
    The Citadel
       B.A. - 2003

Professional Associations and Memberships

    South Carolina Bar Association
    Hilton Head Citadel Alumni Association
    Harmony Lodge, A.F.M. #22, Member
    South Carolina Association for Justice

The Honorable Jeri Ann Roseneau, Clerk of Court, Beaufort County

Jerri Ann Roseneau is the Beaufort County Clerk of Court, appointed by Governor Mark Sanford in 2009 to fill a vacancy in the position. She was elected in 2012 and re-elected in 2016, 2020 and 2024 and will be running again for re-election in 2028. Prior to the appointment to the Office of Clerk of Court, she was a legal assistant at the law firm of Howell, Gibson and Hughes, PA, with focus on civil defense litigation; County, Municipal; and Hospital Operations and Regulations. She is a graduate of Beaufort Technical College.

Aaron Nelson, Esquire

Aaron graduated from The Citadel in 2008 with a bachelor's degree in Business Management: Accounting. He then attended law school at the Charleston School of Law and received a Master of Laws in Taxation from the University of Florida in 2012.
After graduating from the University of Florida, Aaron worked at Deloitte Tax, LLP in Atlanta before moving to Greenville, South Carolina to work for the firm of Merline & Meacham, P.A. At Merline & Meacham, Aaron primarily practiced in the areas of estate planning, probate administration, general business law (including corporate and LLC formation), before moving to Bluffton to start his own practice in 2016.
Aaron is a member of the South Carolina Bar Association and the Hilton Head Island Bar Association and serves as a Council Member of the South Carolina Bar Estate Planning and Probate Law Section. In addition, Aaron served as a Council Member of the South Carolina Bar Tax Section from 2016-2024, and as President from July 2022-July 2023.
Aaron has contributed to multiple legal publications, including the South Carolina Lawyer, where his articles on trust decanting, retirement planning, and tax-related issues have helped educate other professionals. He has also presented on topics such as decanting, deferred compensation, and trust modification at various legal conferences, including the South Carolina Bar Convention, the Probate Bench and Bar, and the South Carolina Trial Lawyers Association.
In his personal life, Aaron is the proud father of two children, Annie and Tripp. Outside of his professional commitments, he enjoys spending time with his family and is an avid outdoor enthusiast. Aaron enjoys fishing, boating, and exploring the May River. A passionate supporter of college football, he is particularly devoted to the Clemson Tigers.

Thank you to all of our distinguished faculty for their time and efforts to educate our members.

CLEs are free to all members of the Hilton Head Bar Association. To join the Hilton Head Bar, please mail your dues check to the attention of treasurer Tyler Melnick at Finger, Melnick & Brooks, 35 Hospital Center Commons, Suite 200, Hilton Head Island, SC 29926.

To reserve your spot in our CLES, or if you are interested in speaking to our membership, please contact Margaret S. Day, Vice President, at Law Office of Margaret S. Day, LLC, 23 Plantation Park Drive, Suite 503, Bluffton, SC 29910 or (843) 836-3714.

The Hilton Head Island Bar Association will be applying for 8 hours of general CLE credit for the Super CLE and one hour of ethics and one hour of SA/MH credit.