W. Chad Jenkins

Partner | Shareholder

Partner W. Chad Jenkins’ primary areas of practice include criminal defense, family court matters, and personal injury/workers compensation cases. He recently obtained a sizable verdict for a local business in a worker’s compensation insurance coverage dispute after the case was appealed all the way to the South Carolina Supreme Court. He has assisted workers compensation clients in obtaining the care and benefits they are entitled. Chad has a thriving criminal defense practice and regularly handles felony and misdemeanor cases, including Driving Under the Influence (DUI) and other traffic-related matters. He served as a presenter at a Continuing Legal Education seminar on criminal trials in South Carolina and at a training seminar for Magistrate judges. He has taken courses to become certified in the Standardized Field Sobriety Tests and Datamaster, and he continues to learn law enforcement’s latest techniques, including Drug Recognition Evaluations.  Chad recently presented on “Defending A Breath Test Case” at the South Carolina Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers Reese Joye DUI Seminar and at the DUIDLA seminar.  He has also presented at seminars on sex crimes and regulary serves as an instructor at Magistrate training seminars. His goal is to be the most informed person in the room about the latest trends in criminal procedure. During college and law school, he served as an office courier and law clerk at Pope & Hudgens. After serving a judicial clerkship in the South Carolina Circuit Court, he returned to Pope & Hudgens to practice law in 2000. A Union, South Carolina native, Chad and his wife, Melanie, are members of Central United Methodist Church and the Carolinian Society. Chad served as an adjunct professor of Constitutional Law at Newberry College for the Fall 2016 semester, he serves on the Newberry Downtown Development Association Board, he previously served on the local YMCA Board of Directors, and he coached a local high school mock-trial team.  Chad enjoys hunting and bicycling.

Areas of Practice

DUI

  • DUI
  • Including DUAC
  • Drug and/or Alcohol Violations

Criminal Defense

  • Assaults, Murder, Manslaughter
  • Felonies and Misdemeanors
  • Drug Crimes
  • Criminal Domestic Violence
  • Traffic Offenses

Family Court

  • Divorce
  • Custody/Visitation
  • Child Support
  • Adoptions

Personal Injury Litigation

Other Litigation 

CHAD JENKINS

Contact

1508 College Street
P.O. Box 190
Newberry, SC 29108

LOCAL

803.276.2532

FAX

803.276.8684

EMAIL

Contact Chad

Bar Admissions

  • South Carolina, 1999  – U.S. District Court District of South Carolina
  • 2001 –  United States 4th Circuit Court of Appeals

Awards and Memberships

  • Newberry’s Best Lawyer, The Newberry Observer (2012 and 2013)
  • DUI Defense Lawyers Association
  • National College of DUI Defense
  • South Carolina Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, 2000 – present
  • South Carolina Association for Justice, 2000 – present
  • National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, 2000 – present
  • American Association for Justice, 2000 – present
  • Newberry County Bar, member, former President, 2000 – present
  • American Bar Association, 2000 – present

Classes & Seminars

  • Presenter of “The Criminal Trial from Start to Finish in S.C.,” NBI, 2005
  • National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Standardized Field Sobriety Testing, March 2010
  • Drug Evaluation and Classification (DECP) and Drug Recognition Expert (DRE) courses, Platt & Associates, June 2011
  • Presenter at S.C. Magistrate Judge Training Seminar
  • Datamaster DMT/Breathalyzer training
  • Presenter at the SCACDL Reese Joye DUI Seminar, November 2016
  • Presenter at DUIDLA Seminar, September 2017

Education

  • University of South Carolina School of Law, Columbia, South Carolina, J.D. 1999
  • Newberry College, B.A. 1996 (Newberry Founders Scholar, Blue Key Honor Society)

Pro Bono/Community Activities

  • Mock Trial attorney-coach for Mid Carolina High School
  • Newberry Downtown Development Association Board Member
  • Former Newberry County YMCA Board of Directors
  • Adjunct Professor of Political Science (Constitutional Law) at Newberry College, Fall 2016
  • Frequent Presenter at Middle School and High School Career Days