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Melinda Butler, Esq. is a Family and Criminal Defense attorney that focuses on preservation of the family. She believes each child deserves to have their natural family raising them in the culture, values and traditions of their family. Melinda is licensed in all South Carolina state and federal courts and the United States Supreme Court. Melinda is from Union County, South Carolina and was the first in her family to receive an education after high school.
The Honorable William A. W. Buxton graduated from Hampden-Sydney College with a degree in English. He attended and completed law school at the Charleston School of Law. Following law school, he was a Judicial Law Clerk for the Honorable Mikell R. Scarborough. He then worked as an Associate Attorney at Curtis & Croft, LLC in Sumter, SC. In 2022, he branched out and opened the Law Office of William A.W. Buxton. In February 2025, he was elected as a Family Court Judge by the General Assembly.
Josh Gupta-Kagan, Esq. has a teaching and scholarship focus on legal issues affecting children and families, especially child neglect and abuse and juvenile justice law. He joined the Columbia Law School faculty as a
clinical professor of law on July 1, 2022, and is the director and founder of the Family Defense Clinic, which represents parents and other caregivers facing allegations of child neglect or abuse. Before joining the Columbia Law School, Gupta-Kagan was a professor of law at the University of South Carolina School of Law, where he directed the Juvenile Justice Clinic. He was previously a staff attorney and lecturer in law in the Washington University in St. Louis School of Law, where he co-taught the Civil Justice Clinic.
In his research and writing, Gupta-Kagan addresses issues including the gaps and biases in child neglect and abuse law, the school-to-prison pipeline, and juvenile delinquency and child neglect and abuse case procedures. His articles have been published in the Stanford Law Review, University of Chicago Law Review, Fordham Law Review, and Journal of Empirical Legal Studies, among other publications.
After graduating from law school, Gupta-Kagan clerked for Judge Marsha S. Berzon on the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. He then worked for six years at the Children’s Law Center in Washington, D.C., representing children and family members in D.C. Family Court and successfully led efforts for legislative reforms.
Timothy Heinle, Esq. is an expert on North Carolina civil matters, including evidence; abuse, neglect, and dependency; incompetency and guardianship; and child support contempt proceedings. As a faculty member in the School's Public Defense Education program, his primary focus is on providing education and resources to civil defense attorneys, including parent attorneys and Chapter 35A guardian ad litem attorneys. In addition to his work with civil defenders, Heinle teaches other attorneys and judicial officials on matters of civil law.
Heinle was awarded with an Albert and Gladys Coates Term Professorship for 2025-2027. In 2022, he received the School's Performance Excellence Award for "collaborative, dedicated, and innovative efforts that advance the mission of the School of Government,” and the Margaret Taylor Writing Award for “outstanding writing that displays [a] clear and direct style,” for The First Seven Days as a Parent Defender.
Heinle joined the School in 2020. Previously, he spent a decade as a civil litigator at the trial and appellate levels in the areas he now focuses on at the School. Heinle earned a J.D. from New England Law in Boston, MA.
Dawn Holmes is a Forensic Social Worker with the NC Office of Indigent Defense Services. She graduated from Fayetteville State University with a BS is Criminal Justice. She obtained he Master’s degree in Counseling Psychology from Webster University. In her role at the NC Office of Indigent Defense Services, she provides social work services to support and assist parents in reunifying with children they have loss due to a child protective services investigation for neglect, dependency and/or abuse.
Marissa Jacobson, Esq. is a native of Charleston, South Carolina. She received her bachelor’s degree from Wofford College in Art History and her Juris Doctorate degree from the University of South Carolina School of Law.
She started her law career as a solo practitioner, focusing on abuse and neglect defense and family law in May of 2005. Marissa Jacobson is a member of a number of professional organizations that focus on family law and abuse and neglect defense for the indigent. She and her husband, Jack Landis, enjoy traveling, cooking, and spending time at the beach. She is the mother of two, Grace and Margot, and a chihuahua jack russell terrier, named Scout.
Lesley Ann O'Neal, Esq. is the sole member of Lesley Ann O'Neal, LLC. She was born and raised in Horry County. She attended public school in Conway and is a 2000 Conway High School Graduate. She graduated Cum Laude from the University of South Carolina with a Bachelors of Arts in Journalism and Mass Communication.
While in law school she clerked for the Charleston County Public Defender's Office and the Charleston County Probate Court. She also clerked for Andrews and Shull, PA while in law school. After law school, she worked for Don C. Gibson in North Charleston and practiced criminal, probate, personal injury and family law. In January 2010, she opened the Law Office of Lesley Ann Sasser, LLC in Charleston, South Carolina. She focused on criminal, probate and family law at that time.
After getting married in 2012, she returned to the Horry County area. She has been a contract attorney with South Carolina Indigent Defense since the inception of the program. She also serves as private Guardian ad Litem, as well as an attorney for the Town of Aynor. Recently, she has also become a contract attorney for the Dillon County Public Defender's Office.
She is a member of the Horry County Bar and South Carolina Bar. She is licensed to practice in South Carolina. She currently serves on the Family Court Bench Bar Committee and the Bench Bar Direct Representation Subcommittee.
Patrick Nance, Esq. graduated from The Citadel with a BS degree in Secondary Education. He then attended law
school at Campbell University. While in law school, he clerked for the Law Offices of Lester Bates. Upon graduating and passing the Bar, he opened his own office as a general practice with a focus on family law. Patrick has been an Indigent Defendant Contract Attorney since the inception of the contract attorney program.
Ericka M. Williams, Esq. serves as Deputy Disciplinary Counsel with the South Carolina Supreme Court Office of Disciplinary Counsel. After graduating from North Carolina A&T State University in 1992 with a B.S. degree in Business Administration, she pursued a legal education at the University of South Carolina where she graduated in 1995. Shortly after graduating from law school, she became employed with the 15th Judicial Circuit Solicitor’s Office as an Assistant Solicitor. She served as Assistant Solicitor for nearly ten years, primarily in the Family Court division. In her current position, she is responsible for the investigation and prosecution of
complaints of misconduct made against attorneys. She currently serves as a faculty member of the South Carolina Bar's Legal Ethics and Practice Program (LEAPP) Ethics School.
Sharice Zachary, MSW is the Interdisciplinary Parent Representation Program Manager at the North Carolina Office of Parent Defender. She possesses a Master of Social Work, along with a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology. She has 5+ years of professional experience within the public and nonprofit sectors providing direct social work and supervision. Ms. Zachary joined the office in August 2022.
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