Committee Highlight

The Young Lawyers Committee

The Young Lawyers Committee, chaired by Matt Butler and Alyssa Ehrlich Howell, is among several committees in GPSolo’s Division Four-Practice Setting. This committee is responsible for encouraging the participation of the Division’s young lawyer members and helping young lawyers advance their careers and expand their knowledge. The leadership of the committee plan, market, select the Young Lawyer Fellows to the Division, and monitor the Young Lawyer Fellows program. The committee’s responsibilities included recruitment and retention of young lawyer members and liaising with the ABA Young Lawyers Division.

The Young Lawyers Committee develops programs of interest to young lawyers. The Committee promoted the following programs to local young lawyers for attendance at the 2012 Spring Meeting in Charleston, SC, May 17–19, 2012, as well as to 220 GPSolo’s Young Lawyers Committees members. The audio recording will be available online soon.

Young Lawyer Practical Skill Development Series: Marketing and Business (Non-CLE)

This program is designed to provide legal skills training for the young lawyer practicing on their own or in a small firm. Whether the young solo practitioner practices in litigation or transactions, certain key client development skills are required and should be sharpened over time. This program provides the busy practitioner with an inexpensive means to become a better marketer while connecting with practitioners alike.

• Personal Branding for Young Lawyers—Speaker: Alan A. Fowler (Key West, FL)
• Business Development and Networking and Using Your Website to Market Your Practice—Speakers: Gregory S. Forman (Charleston, SC) and Jenny Moser (Charleston, SC)
• Effective Billing—Speaker: Ellen H. Babb (Charleston, SC)

For more information visit the Young Lawyers Committee webpage.

Member Spotlight

George C. Johnson

George C. Johnson is a partner in the law firm of Johnson, Toal & Battiste, P.A. George received his undergraduate degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and his juris doctorate from the University of South Carolina.

Since law school, George has served on the Fee Dispute Board and the Richland County Bar’s Public Defender Board. Additionally, he has served on the South Carolina Bar’s Trial and Advocacy Committee and the South Carolina Bar’s Docket Reform Committee. George is currently a member of South Carolina Bar’s Board of Governors.

George has been very active in the GP Solo Division. He started as a Diversity Fellow in 2002. He has served as Diversity Committee Chair and a member of Council. Additionally, George served on Long Range Planning, the Publications Board, and the Corporate Sponsors Committee. Recently he served as Host Committee Chair for the Spring Meeting in Charleston, SC. George is currently Division One Administration Director.

George practices in the areas of criminal defense, probate law, and personal injury. In 2011 he was named one of the ten best criminal defense attorneys in Columbia, SC, by the Greater Columbia Business Monthly.

George is married to the former Michelle Hurley, also an attorney. They have two daughters: Rachel, age 7, and Ryann, age 5.