Regina M. Banis
BLUFFTON, SC: 181 Bluffton Road, Suite F-202, (843) 757-5500, reginabanis.com
Being an attorney is not for the faint of heart. Every day brings some new challenge, one that transcends the usual workplace difficulties that others might experience, because an attorney’s business is people’s lives. A chef merely ruins someone’s meal if they aren’t on their A game. An attorney can impact someone’s entire life.
Because their job is so massively consequential, an attorney needs to find joy where they can. Regina Banis doesn’t need to look far.
“Just last week, three of my days started with doing a song and dance routine to ‘Let It Go’ with a 4-year-old. What lawyer gets to start their day like that?” she said. “It’s heavy work sometimes, but I love being around children.”
That love for children, working to ensure they have a healthy and prosperous future, has become the cornerstone of Banis’ practice. Originally envisioning her firm as being focused on real estate law, she saw family law as a better way forward when the 2008 real estate crash brought the entire business model down around her ears.
The moment that lightbulb turned on came when she first read John Kotter’s “Our Iceberg is Melting,” a treatise on adapting to rapid change.
“It reinforced what I already knew – that real estate alone wasn’t going to be enough. At that point a mentor of mine reached out to recommend I learn more about estate planning and probate,” Banis said. “Shortly after that, I was appointed by the court as a guardian ad litem for a father.”
With that appointment as guardian ad litem, an entire world opened up for Banis. Being allowed to put her sole focus on acting in the best interests of a child or legally incapacitated adult was more than just a job for her. It was a calling. She quickly began reaching out to local judges with pitch letters.
“Pete Fuge was a family court judge, and my letter hit his desk just as one of his attorneys was getting out, so he was the first to give me a chance,” she said. “He was such an incredible judge, always generous with his time and knowledge. After that, I just built a reputation.”
Her reputation for tireless advocacy, personal connection, and fierce protectiveness has since made her one of the most sought-after attorneys for guardian ad litem work.
“There are really only a handful of attorneys who consistently do this, and as far as I can figure, I’ve been doing it longer than anyone else at 19 years,” she said.
Guardian work also propelled her firm into its new position as a respected resource for family law cases, handling divorce, custody disputes, and mediation on top of real estate and probate law.
“I really enjoy family court mediation because it gives me the ability to do some outside-the-box creative thinking to find solutions for people,” she said. “Sometimes the solution isn’t immediately evident, but that’s where I become a creative courier pigeon. If you don’t like an idea, I have five more and I’ll take the ones you like to the other party.”
With the iceberg of her real estate law practice melting under the glare of the financial crisis, that same creativity helped Banis pivot into family law. Nineteen years later, she finds balance in the devoted service she provides for her clients, and the immeasurable good she does in protecting the best interests of children and families as their own iceberg begins to melt.
Carr Legal Group
HILTON HEAD ISLAND, SC: 1 Corpus Christi Place, Unit 113, BEAUFORT, SC: 1917 Lovejoy Street, Office: (843) 738 – 2277, Toll Free: (833) 728 – 2277, carrlegal.com
If there is one quote that sums up the legal philosophy of attorney Patrick Carr, it would be something he said during a discussion with this magazine on the topic of tort reform.
“People think the system is only available to the rich and powerful, but that’s never been what our civil justice system is about,” Carr said. “It’s about holding people accountable. It’s about encouraging good behavior and curbing bad behavior.”
Viewed through that lens, you can see why he fights so hard for his clients. It also underscores why tort reform is a subject that he’s so passionate about. As the principal of Carr Legal Group, he spearheads an experienced group of personal injury attorneys who have dedicated their careers to helping those who have been hurt in an accident or impacted by drunk driving.
And too often, he sees bad actors attempting to twist the system to make it harder for victims to be made whole.
“Tort reform is a hot button issue in our legislature. Sadly, the people who are promoting tort reform are doing it in a dishonest manner,” Carr said. “They tell you it will make insurance rates go down, but there’s no evidence to support that. When they make changes to our civil justice system to diminish or eliminate the remedies available to injury or death victims, who benefits from that? The wrongdoer, by not being held accountable – and their insurance companies.”
One of the proposals at hand he sees as a grave injustice is the lowering of mandatory minimum liability from $1 million down to $300,000. “If a drunk driver runs a red light and kills someone, do you think $300,000 is adequate compensation for that loss? It’s not. Even a million isn’t enough,” Carr said. “They’re going in the wrong direction; if anything, it should be increasing due to inflation.”
It is a valid point, especially in South Carolina, where drunk driving injuries and deaths are among the worst in the nation. And when someone is injured or killed by their actions, it’s a grave injustice that Carr has built his career around redressing.
“It’s about making sure that people who are harmed through no fault of their own can get just compensation for what they’ve experienced,” he said. “If you’re a client of mine, you’re going to get personal attention and diligent service. You’re going to get my 28 years of experience and the finest legal representation within the highest ethical standards.” And you’re going to get an ally who wants to see you made whole, one who knows how to fight a system that far too often tries to keep you from getting the justice you deserve.
Butler & College
BLUFFTON, SC: 152 State Steet,Suite 201, OKATIE, SC: 3369 Argent Blvd.Unit 101, POOLER, GA: 121 US -80 Hwy. E., Main Phone: (843) 277-6220, bandclawfirm.com
Butler & College is a multi-state law firm serving clients across the Southeastern coast with a focus on real estate and estate planning. With offices spanning from Wilmington, North Carolina, to Pooler, Georgia, and as far West as Columbia, SC the firm has grown to a 60-plus-person operation dedicated to providing exceptional legal services rooted in community connection.
Each office maintains the warmth and accessibility of a local practice while benefiting from the resources of a regional firm. Whether you’re closing on your dream home, planning your estate, or navigating probate, Butler & College brings professional excellence and genuine care to every client.
As COO and equity partner, Ashley Adams Brown has been a driving force behind Butler & College’s remarkable expansion since joining in 2019. Brown balances running a multi-state law firm with being a devoted mother to three young daughters. She is passionate about coaching talent within the firm, creating opportunities for attorneys and staff to grow into leadership roles while maintaining the firm’s commitment to client service and community connection.
Originally from Brooklyn, New York, Natalia Chandler traded city life for the Carolina coast eight years ago and never looked back. Now deeply woven into the Lowcountry community, she leads the firm’s Bluffton, Pooler, and Okatie offices as Coastal Division director, with a focus on residential real estate. Based in the Old Town Bluffton office, Chandler understands firsthand what it means to plant roots somewhere new. She brings warmth, local expertise, and genuine care to every client ready to call this beautiful region home.
Sal LaValle is a real estate and estate planning attorney licensed in Georgia and South Carolina, bringing a client-focused approach to every transaction. A graduate of Charleston School of Law, LaValle spent six years in the Lowcountry before planting roots outside Statesboro, Georgia. He is passionate about helping clients navigate one of the most significant investments of their lives with clarity and confidence. LaValle is based in the Pooler office and enjoys traveling, spending time with family and friends, and golf.
Originally from Greenville, South Carolina, Lindley Hightower is a proud alumna of both Clemson University and the University of South Carolina School of Law. She began her legal career in civil litigation before transitioning into real estate and estate planning. Hightower is passionate about helping clients navigate transactions with confidence and clarity. Based in the firm’s Okatie office, she resides in Savannah with her husband and their two dogs, Bowman and Sadie.
Tom McNutt grew up in Bluffton and is now the estate planning director for this region region, based in the Bluffton office. After a decade of living and working abroad, the beauty of the coast called him home to the Lowcountry in 2019. McNutt brings a global perspective and commitment to service to estate planning clients. A proud “Double Deacon,” he earned both his BA and JD from Wake Forest University. He lives in Bluffton with his wife, two children, cat, and dog.
The Bluffton, Okatie, and Pooler offices are staffed by attorneys who aren’t just practicing law in the Lowcountry – they’re living in it. Led by Brown, Chandler, and McNutt, alongside attorneys LaValle and Hightower, this team brings deep local roots, genuine understanding of what it means to call this region “home,” and a shared commitment to guiding clients through life’s most important legal decisions with warmth and expertise. They are not just your attorneys; they are your neighbors.
Bannon Law Group, LLC
BLUFFTON, SC: 10 Westbury Parkway, Unit A, (843) 815-4505, POOLER, GA: 2201 Pooler Parkway, Suite 200, (912) 239-6610, CHARLESTON, SC: 78 Ashley Point Drive, Suite 201, (843) 815-4505
The numbers don’t lie. If you look at data from the Lowcountry Council of Governments, the population of Beaufort County increased more than 15% between 2010 and 2020. In Jasper County, it increased 16%. And that was just up to 2020. Since the pandemic, when a horde of first-time visitors discovered the Lowcountry after international travel shut down, those numbers have only gone up. There isn’t anything official to back it up, but anecdotally we’ve all seen it. And if you haven’t, you need only ask Meredith Bannon.
As one half of the married couple/legal powerhouse Bannon Law Group, Meredith oversees the real estate side of the practice. And as you might imagine, she has been incredibly busy.
“Jasper County has been called the fastest growing county in the country, and Charleston has been identified as the hottest real estate market in the country,” she said. “People keep moving down here and we are here for it.”
Technically, they are here for it while also being in Charleston and Savannah for it, having wisely anticipated that growth and set up branch offices to take advantage. Each branch lets them bring their expertise and unique mix of services to the Lowcountry’s metropolitan bookends, with the close proximity allowing them to maintain the kind of personal services that have made them some of the most reputable attorneys in the Lowcountry.
“We’re serving the same community, but that community is growing,” said Jim Bannon, whose side of the practice focuses on criminal defense. From something as trivial as traffic tickets to as life altering as felony charges, Jim’s experience as both defense attorney and prosecutor gives him a unique perspective on the law that he brings to each client. “Expanding in the way we have has really allowed us to see the need in each community. Our unique combination of services is highly sought after.”
Theirs is an unusual law firm by any standard metrics. The first and most obvious quirk is their decades-long marriage, combining their strengths in and out of the courtroom as they serve clients and raise their daughter E.G., who will start ninth grade in the fall. The other unique aspect of Bannon Law Group is their dual areas of focus, with Meredith focusing on real estate and Jim focusing on criminal defense. Like their ads say, “From ROI to DUI, the Bannon Law Group has got you covered.” That mix, as unorthodox as it may seem, has become highly symbiotic as the Lowcountry’s population has skyrocketed.
“You look at areas like Pooler which are massively growing, and because of that we are seeing our HOA arm exploding with all of the new developments,” Meredith said. “And the more people that move down here, the more traffic there is, and the more people who need Jim’s services.”
It’s not that Jim wants anyone to view our new neighbors with any kind of suspicion. “I certainly don’t think it’s an increase in crime per capita, but the more people living in your area, the more you’re naturally going to see more of it,” he said.
As long-time Bluffton residents, Jim and Meredith Bannon consider us all their neighbors. Yes, there are a few more of us than there were when the couple founded their firm in 2012. By getting ahead of that growth, expanding their reach up and down the coast, they’re simply letting those new neighbors take advantage of the most dynamic legal team in the Lowcountry.
“We love meeting new people coming to the Lowcountry and helping them transition,” Jim said. “We hope they don’t need us again, but if they do, we are ready to help.”
Visit Bannon Law Group at bannonlawgroup.com.