Law firm expands with new Charleston office

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A law firm with multiple locations has expanded its Charleston office space while adding several key attorneys.

Saxton & Stump has moved up a floor in its current building at 151 Meeting St., according to a news release from the firm.

The firm also has made several personnel additions, including attorney Rene Dukes has joined its Charleston office as an equity shareholder, the release stated. In addition to the move, the firm has added three new attorneys and a new practice group. Besides Dukes, Saxton & Stump has added Emily Ford and M. Calvin Brackin as attorneys. Dukes will lead the Family Law Group, as well as continuing to practice education law and represent businesses in labor and employment.

“Bringing in Rene and Emily to start our Family Law Group and Calvin as another business litigator in the office will provide additional bench strength for our South Carolina clients,” Saxton & Stump CEO James W. Saxton said in the release. “The success our Charleston office has experienced in just the last eight months has been tremendous. We are looking forward to continuing this growth.”

Dukes comes into Saxton & Stump as an equity shareholder, and in addition to her family law practice, she is part of the firm’s Education and Labor and Employment groups, the release stated. She brings nearly 35 years of experience in the legal profession. She earned her law degree magna cum laude at the Charleston School of Law and her undergraduate degree from the University of Virginia. In 2019, Charleston County named her its “Pro Bono Attorney of the Year.”

Brackin is an associate and part of the firm’s Commercial Litigation group as well as the Business, Corporate and Tax Group, the release stated. He brings with him experience handling a range of civil and business-related litigation, as well as business organization law. Brackin earned his law degree at the Charleston School of Law and is a graduate of Clemson University, where he earned a degree in economics.

Ford is a member of the Saxton & Stump Family Law and Commercial Litigation groups, the release stated. During her career, she has focused on family law as an associate at both a boutique family law firm and a full-service law firm. She graduated magna cum laude from the Charleston School of Law and earned her M.B.A. and undergraduate degrees from the University of Charleston in West Virginia.

The office also recently has added paralegal Claire Whitsett to the Family Law Group, according to the release. She attended Lander University in South Carolina and received her paralegal certificate from the National Center for Paralegal Training.

All new hires will work out of the expanded Charleston office opened earlier this month, one floor up from the previous location, the release stated. The new office in Suite #400 nearly doubles the space and additional expansion plans are already underway.