WUKELA LAW FIRM - Key Persons
Benjamin D. Moore was admitted to the South Carolina Bar in May of 1977. He has lived and practiced law in Florence, South Carolina since that time. His primary emphasis in his practice is residential and commercial real estate. He has successfully completed over 10,000 real estate closings, and has lectured on real estate issues in continuing legal education courses. He has also taught seminars concerning the knowledge and understanding of proper closing procedures to countless members of the real estate profession. He served as legal counsel for the Pee Dee Realtors Association and its Board of Directors from 2006 to 2014.
Another area of concentration in Ben's practice is the probate of estates, which includes the preparation of wills, powers of attorney and the handling of contested and uncontested estates in Probate Court. He has wide experience in a number of other legal matters as well, including election law, and has lectured in political science for a number of years at Francis Marion University. Since 2001, he has served as a Special Referee (Judge) for Florence, Marion, Darlington, and Lee Counties, hearing and deciding non-jury matters.
Ben practices in the state courts of South Carolina as a member of the Florence County and South Carolina Bar Association, and is also admitted to practice before the Federal District Court for South Carolina, the Fourth United States Court of Appeals, the United States Court of Military Appeals and the United States Supreme Court. Long active in civic and community affairs, he is past chairman of the Florence County United Way, the Administrative Board and Church Council of Highland Park United Methodist Church, the Florence County Mental Health Association, and the Palmetto Civitan Club. He has served as Governor of the South Carolina Civitan District and as a member of the Civitan International Board of Directors. He received the Civitan International Honor Key, the organization's highest award, at the Chicago international convention in 1989.
Ben retired from the active practice of law in December of 2020.
Christi B. McDaniel graduated magna cum laude from Furman University in 1990 with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in History. She earned her Juris Doctor degree in 1993 from the University of South Carolina School of Law.
Although she has experience in other areas of the law, she now primarily focuses on representing individuals who are seeking to obtain Social Security Disability and Supplemental Security Income Benefits. She has handled Social Security cases since she began practicing in 1993 and has been a presenter at many continuing legal education courses dealing with Social Security Disability. She is a member of the National Organization of Social Security Claimants' Representatives (NOSSCR).
Frank "Clay" Swaggard is a Florence native. He is a magna cum laude graduate of the University of South Carolina where he received a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science in 2006. He graduated from the Charleston School of Law with a Juris Doctor in 2009. During law school, Mr. Swaggard was named to the Moot Court Board where he served as the Associate Justice for External Competitions, was a student representative to the Faculty Curriculum Committee, and was a Charleston School of Law Ambassador. He was also selected to the Student Bar Association's Judicial Branch as the Chief Justice.
During law school, Mr. Swaggard clerked for the Navy JAG at Naval Weapons Station Charleston and the Federal Public Defender's office in Florence. Before joining the Wukela Law Firm in November of 2010, he was hired as the Finance Director of Holleman for Education, Frank Holleman's campaign for State Superintendent of Education. At the end of the campaign, he and his wife Alison returned to Florence and started a family.
Mr. Swaggard's practice is varied, but his focus is primarily on domestic and real estate matters, as well as personal injury litigation.
Patrick J. McLaughlin was born and raised in Florence, South Carolina. Upon graduating from the University of South Carolina in 1997, Mr. McLaughlin continued to work in management for a company that operates several family entertainment centers in North and South Carolina, living in Charleston, Columbia and Greenville in that role.
In 2002, Mr. McLaughlin enrolled at the University of South Carolina School of Law, graduating in December 2004. Mr. McLaughlin returned home to Florence and began his legal practice with his childhood friend, Stephen J. Wukela, at the Wukela Law Firm.
Mr. McLaughlin's practice focuses primarily on representing plaintiffs in personal injury, civil rights cases, and wrongful death cases. He also practices criminal defense, defending those accused of crimes and DUI violations in South Carolina.
Mr. McLaughlin has tried jury trials in both state and federal courts. He has represented clients on civil appeals before the South Carolina Court of Appeals, South Carolina Supreme Court, and the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals. Mr. McLaughlin has been certified as an expert and provided expert testimony at trial in South Carolina Circuit Court.
Mr. McLaughlin enjoys duck hunting with his Wirehaired Vizsla, LaPorte; traveling wherever his fiancé, Von, tells him they are going to travel; and having his heart broken repeatedly by the University of South Carolina Gamecocks.
Pheobe Clark is a native of Florence, South Carolina. A graduate of Wofford College and a former Lady Terrier. Ms. Clark subsequently moved to Durham, North Carolina and attended North Carolina Central School of Law. After completion of law school, Ms. Clark returned home to Florence to begin her legal practice with the Wukela Law Firm. She was admitted to the South Carolina Bar on November 13, 2006.
With a practice focus on labor and employment law, Ms. Clark handles employment disability claims, ERISA litigation, unemployment claims, wrongful termination cases, and civil rights cases. Ms. Clark also represents plaintiffs in Chapter 7 and Chapter 13 Bankruptcy, and personal injury, and assists with wills and probate matters.
Steve Wukela, Jr. was born in Mansfield, Ohio on February 25, 1947. He graduated from Ohio State University with a Bachelors of Arts in political science in March 1969. He volunteered for the United States Army on June 16, 1969, was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant after completing Infantry OCS at Fort Benning, Georgia in June 1970. He did not participate in combat in Viet Nam but served his tour of duty in Fort Jackson, Columbia, South Carolina as an officer training soldiers to be field wiremen and radio operators.
Mr. Wukela then completed law school at the University of South Carolina Law Center and began practicing law in Florence, South Carolina in May 1975. In December 1976, he founded the Wukela Law Firm as a sole practitioner. Over the years Steve Wukela, Jr. has represented people for anything from murder to minor traffic violations in state and federal courts of South Carolina and has gained experience in criminal law, domestic law, all forms of trial litigation and appellate practice involving personal injury cases, medical malpractice, catastrophic brain injury cases, and wrongful death actions. He has practiced before the Social Security Administration and before the South Carolina Workers' Compensation Commission representing injured workers and has represented parents and students before the local school boards. He has also represented numerous political candidates before the South Carolina Supreme Court in election disputes.
Mr. Wukela does not charge for initial consultations and the overwhelming majority of his attorney's fees are on a contingency fee basis.
Stephen J. Wukela graduated from Clemson University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Philosophy and Political Science in December of 1996. Thereafter, he graduated in 2000 from the George Washington University Law School with a Juris Doctor degree.
Mr. Wukela concentrates on trial and appellate practice in the areas of general tort law and Workers' Compensation law. He has handled cases before the South Carolina Workers' Compensation Commission, South Carolina Circuit Court, South Carolina Court of Appeals, South Carolina Supreme Court, Federal District Court, and the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals.
He was elected as Mayor of the City of Florence in 2008 and re-elected in 2012 and 2016.