Even though we will be sad to see her leave, the Jebaily Law Firm is proud to announce that attorney Cely Anne Baker Brigman has been elected to serve as a judge on the bench of the Fourth Judicial Circuit Family Court.
As SCNow.com reports, the General Assembly elected Brigman on May 27 following her nomination by the Judicial Merit Selection Commission (JMSC), which qualifies candidates for state judicial seats.
In addition to her family law practice with Jebaily Law Firm, Brigman has served as the Chief Magistrate for Darlington County since 2004.
Brigman will replace Judge Roger Henderson on Seat 1 on the Family Court bench and should complete her transition within the next few weeks. She will serve the rest of the current term (through June 2016) and the following term (through June 2022).
“It’s an opportunity of a lifetime for me,” Brigman said after being contacted for a phone interview by SCNow.com. “My father’s a retired attorney, and he was sort of always my hero and my role model. I hope to pattern my behavior and decision making after the lessons he’s taught me. I couldn’t be happier.”
A Deep Background in South Carolina Family Law
Brigman was born and raised in Darlington, where her father, D. Kenneth Baker, practiced law. After she received her undergraduate degree in Public Affairs from Columbia College in 1983, Brigman went on to earn her law degree from the University of South Carolina School of Law in 1985.
Early in her legal career, Brigman focused her practice on family law, allowing her to develop a strong understanding of how the Family Court process works in South Carolina – and the impact it can have on her clients’ lives.
She also became a strong proponent of resolving family law disputes through court-ordered mediation.
“It’s the one place where you have the power and the ability to be as creative as you want to be in order to come up with a situation that works for you,” Brigman notes in her profile on our website.
Additionally, in her role as the Darlington County Chief Magistrate, Brigman has sat on the Magistrate Court’s Criminal Domestic Violence Court. This has given her the chance to develop a keen understanding of the domestic violence issues which often arise in family law cases.
The JMSC stated in its nomination of Brigman that her “temperament would be excellent,” and she would “bring good experience” to the Family Court, according to SCNow.com.
Those of us at Jebaily Law Firm who have had the honor of working with Brigman could not agree more. We congratulate her and wish her the best as she enters this new and exciting stage in her career.
