JOHNSON - Key Persons
Mr. Tewkesbury practices in the areas of estate planning and probate with the Johnson Smith law firm. He served as law clerk to South Carolina Supreme Court Associate Justice Bruce Littlejohn (1980-1982), as Assistant Solicitor for the South Carolina 7th Judicial Circuit (1982-1983), as Member of the law firm of Holcombe, Bomar, Wynn and Gunn (1983-1991), as Assistant General Counsel of Flagstar Corporation (1991-1995), and as a member of the law firm of Butler, Means, Evins & Browne (1995-2020). He served as a Member of the South Carolina Supreme Court Board of Commissioners on Grievances and Discipline (1985-1988), and served as an Attorney to Assist Disciplinary Counsel of the South Carolina Supreme Court Board of Commissioners on Grievances and Discipline. He is married to Karen Givins Tewkesbury and has two sons, Matt and Rick. He is a member of Westminster Presbyterian Church of Spartanburg. He enjoys golf, reading, and college sports. He also enjoys teaching and has spoken at various seminars for lawyers, paralegals, judges, and the general public about planning an estate, estate tax planning, elder law planning, probate and estate administration, and charitable giving.
Daniel joined the firm in 2015 and became a partner in 2020. His practice areas include real estate, business transactions, and economic incentives. Daniel regularly represents buyers and sellers in commercial real estate transactions. Daniel has experience representing large commercial real estate developers in the development of industrial business parks and other commercial developments. Daniel also represents clients in residential real estate transactions. Daniel represents both companies and counties in economic incentive transactions, including fee-in-lieu of tax agreements, special source credit agreements, and other state tax credits. Prior to joining Johnson Smith, Daniel worked for two years with the South Carolina Supreme Court.
Beginning as a law student/clerk in the summers of 1972 and 1973, then as an associate in 1974, and continuing as a partner since 1979, Don Wildman's entire legal career has been with the Johnson Smith firm. Don's extensive and accomplished career has included representing many of Spartanburg's most complex businesses and corporations. Don focuses on helping clients successfully evaluate, negotiate, document, and close on a broad spectrum of business and personal transactions. Although he has advised and served on boards of publicly traded companies, most of his time is spent representing clients with closely held businesses and addressing the myriad issues they face day-to-day. Some of the highlights of Don's career include:
Drafting and lobbying a successful amendment to the South Carolina Constitution to limit taxes and spending (1979-1984)
Helping creating the largest Blockbuster Video franchisee in the U.S. (208 locations) through organic growth as well as acquisitions across the Southeast to Louisiana and Colorado (1985-1993)
Assisting in nationwide roll out of more than 300 Extended Stay America and Studio Plus Hotels (1995-2004)
Acquiring within only a few weeks over 150 contiguous parcels from sellers of land to the South Carolina Ports Authority to create the 1,200-acre manufacturing campus of BMW North America in Spartanburg County (1992)
Acquiring more than 40,000 acres of South Carolina timberland in 11 counties with approximately 200 parcels (2009-2010)
Professional/Civic Activities: South Carolina Bar Association; Fourth Circuit Judicial Conference; Don has served on the boards of a variety of governmental entities, religious organizations, community organizations and non-profits. He is a former president of the Spartanburg County Bar Association and served as a member of the Board of Governors and the House of Delegates of the S.C. Bar Association from 2015 to 2019.
Donna has practiced with firm as an associate and then partner since 1987. Prior to that, she was a Judicial Law Clerk to Honorable John P. Gardner, Sr., South Carolina Court of Appeals, from 1985-87. A Martindale-Hubbell AV-Rated Attorney, Donna's practice areas include transactional law, residential and commercial real estate, finance, and creditors rights. Her real estate experience includes experience in a wide range of projects and developments from industrial parks, multi-property purchases, hotel and apartment acquisitions, construction lending, developmental loan closings, commercial foreclosures, and commercial leasing, to the related contract negotiations and company formations. In addition to representing sellers, buyers, borrowers, and lenders in these areas, she also provides local counsel opinion letters to out-of-state parties and collaborates regularly with attorneys in other states to similarly assist her clients in South Carolina. In addition to those practice areas, Donna also is involved in managing the collections and creditor's rights practice areas in the firm and represents many of the Upstate regional lenders in these areas.
A lifelong resident of Spartanburg, Doug joined the firm in 1983 upon receiving his Juris Doctor degree and being admitted to the South Carolina Bar. Welcoming the opportunity to practice with the firm his father founded, Doug worked as an Associate until 1987 when he became a partner. In 1992, Doug was elected to the South Carolina House of Representatives. He was elected Speaker Pro Tempore in 2000 and served in that capacity until his retirement from the legislature in 2008. Whether as a public servant or a dedicated advocate for clients, serving the people and business community of South Carolina remains Doug's utmost priority.
Professional/Civic Activities: Doug served eight terms in the South Carolina House of Representatives (1992-2008). In 2005, as his Liberty Fellowship project, he created The South Carolina New Statesman Society to provide newly elected members of the General Assembly with ethics and leadership training utilizing an informal workshop setting. Doug's project was later adopted by Liberty Fellowship and continues to be a program impacting newly elected officials and the residents of South Carolina. Doug served as president of the South Carolina Golf Association. Doug founded the Robert F. Chapman Junior Golf Foundation in 1995 as a means to provide scholarships to deserving youth in South Carolina. The Foundation is funded through an annual junior golf tournament, The Bobby Chapman Junior Invitational, which has grown since its inception to become one of the premiere junior tournaments in the country. Doug currently serves as Chairman of the Board of Directors of The Bobby Chapman Junior Invitational. He also serves as Commissioner with the Greenville-Spartanburg Airport Commission and as Trustee for The Heritage Classic Foundation.
Howard Kinard joined the firm as an associate in 2007 after serving as a judicial clerk to the Honorable John C. Hayes, III and The Honorable Thomas L. Hughston, Jr., Circuit Court Judges. Howard focuses his practice in the areas of Business Law, Collections, Commercial Transactions, Foreclosures and Residential and Commercial Real Estate. Howard has represented investors and developers in commercial and residential real estate transactions for development and construction projects. Howard also regularly assists clients in the formation, organization and governance of corporations, limited liability companies and nonprofits. His practice also includes representation of owners and developers in commercial office and retail leasing transactions. Additionally, he assists banks and investors with non-performing loans and judicial foreclosures.
Johnson Smith can trace its history back to 1930 when Edwin W. Johnson opened his law office on Church Street in Downtown Spartanburg. For nearly 100 years from that location, Johnson Smith has continued to provide trusted legal counsel and client-focused services to generations of families and businesses in Spartanburg and beyond. The contributions of Johnson Smith and its attorneys are woven into the very landscape of Spartanburg. Johnson Smith is tied to Spartanburg's history and committed to its future. Please let us know how we can help you.
Job Titles:
- Partner
- Member of the Board of Directors for Sidewalk Hope, Inc
Kristin joined the Johnson Smith firm in 2003 and became partner in 2013. Prior to joining Johnson Smith, Kristin was the judicial law clerk for the Honorable Lee S. Alford, Circuit Court Judge for the Sixteenth Judicial Circuit of South Carolina for one year. Kristin's practice areas have included civil litigation, business transactions, real estate, collections, probate administration, foreclosure, and creditor's rights, including creditor's rights in bankruptcy. Recently, she has focused her practice in the areas of collections, foreclosure and probate administration/litigation. Kristin represents both lenders and borrowers in statewide foreclosure and loan-work-out matters.
Professional/Civic Activities: Kristin currently serves as a member of the Board of Directors for Sidewalk Hope, Inc. She and her family are active members of First Baptist Spartanburg.
Education: University of South Carolina (J.D., 2010); Knox Theological Seminary (M.A., 2007); University of Florida (B.A., 2006)
Kyle joined the Johnson Smith firm in 2017 and became partner in 2020. Prior to joining Johnson Smith, Kyle served as law clerk to the Honorable J. Mark Hayes II and practiced with a Spartanburg law firm where he primarily represented clients engaged in the healthcare, information technology, and manufacturing industries. Kyle's practice focuses on advising both large and small businesses on a variety of legal matters including, commercial transactions, mergers and acquisitions, formation and governance, banking and finance, and estate planning.
Reid joined the firm in 2011. Reid focuses on a variety of legal practice areas and is licensed to practice in both South Carolina and North Carolina. He regularly assists clients with commercial real estate transactions, estate planning matters, and business law issues such as mergers, acquisitions, and the formation and organization of various business entities.
Shane joined the firm as an associate in 2005. His main areas of practice are civil litigation, torts and probate administration and litigation. His practice has allowed him the opportunity to appear on behalf of clients in matters throughout the state at both the local and federal level. Shane has served as the chair of the Spartanburg County Bar Association Probate Committee.
Professional/Civic Activities: Shane is very active in the Spartanburg community. He has served as president of the USC Upstate Alumni Association, a member of the USC Upstate Foundation, and as a member of the board for March of Dimes Upstate Division. Shane currently serves as a member of National Hoops Ministries Board and a member of the governing board of Open Door Baptist Missions.
Steve Querin joined the law firm as an associate in 1996 and became partner in 2002. Steve's practice focuses mainly in the areas of commercial transactions, business organizations, purchases and sales of businesses, commercial financing transactions, mergers and acquisitions and real estate closings - both residential and commercial. Steve also has experience in collections and foreclosures and the representation of both lenders and borrowers in loan transactions and loan work-outs. Steve represents both buyers and sellers in real estate transactions - from as simple as the purchase of a residence to as sophisticated as the sale/financing of a multi-property commercial real estate portfolio. Steve is licensed to practice in state and federal courts in South Carolina.
Professional/Civic Activities: Steve has taught business law at USC Upstate's George Dean Johnson, Jr. College of Business and Economics. He has served on the board of many nonprofit organizations in the Spartanburg community and has expertise in non-profit governance issues, including the City of Spartanburg's Civil Service Commission, the City of Spartanburg's Downtown Development Committee, the Board of Trustees of The Ivey Foundation and the Board of Trustees of the Spartanburg Community College Foundation (Past-Chair).