As the Bylaws read on the South Carolina Bar’s website for the Young Lawyers Division:

The South Carolina Bar Young Lawyers Division (Division) was founded in 1974 to foster principles of duty and service to the public, promote professional responsibility, stimulate the interest of young lawyers in Bar activities, conduct programs of interest and value to young lawyers, and to assist in the coordination and improvement of local young lawyer organizations.   All lawyers practicing in South Carolina are licensed through the South Carolina Supreme Court and are mandatory members of the South Carolina Bar.  All members of the South Carolina Bar in good standing under thirty-six (36) years of age, and those admitted to the South Carolina Bar as their first bar less than five (5) years are members of the Division.

Even at my age it’s nice to be involved in something that has "Young" in it. However, with that title comes some expectations, activities, and involvement of a caliber that requires a little youthful energy, excitement, and creativity. I became involved immediately with this organization upon receiving my law license five years ago. Since that time, I have had the opportunity to participate in:

  1. The annual Clemson/Carolina Pep Rally to raise money for Children Chance;
  2. Social Networking Task Force to get the "big Bar" involved in social networking (join South Carolina Bar on Facebook);
  3. Volunteering for mock trials for high school students in Greenville; and
  4. Teaching classes at the SCBar’s "Law School for Non-Lawyers".

The sad fact about the South Carolina Bar Young Lawyers Division is that only about five percent (5%) of the eligible young lawyers are active in this organization.  I know we all work hard every day and interacting with lawyers during our free time may be a bit overwhelming but it’s not about you, it’s about them:

  • Adopt-A-Student Program-the pairing of elementary school students and lawyers to assist as mentors and doing so through the more modern mode of communication for children that age-email;
  • Backpack Drive-school supplies collected for needy children;
  • Cinderella Project-socially and economically disadvantaged high school students that would not otherwise have a beautiful dress to wear to the prom can do so by looking through donations of gently worn formal gowns, shoes, and accessories;
  • Community Law Week– first week of May where young lawyers promote the legal profession in various ways throughout their respective communities;
  • Day of Action-you choose the day and the way to give back and just do it;
  • Disaster Relief-provide instruction on the legal issues that arise at the time of a natural disaster;
  • Families Forever-adoption awareness and information;
  • High School Digital Video Project-contest for high school students in conjunction with Community Law Week to educate, inform, and motivate students to learn more about the law;
  • Justice Jam-lawyers graced with the gift to play music help raise money for local charities;
  • Our Courts-web based educational project to teach students about being civic minded and inspire them to be active participants in our democracy;
  • Protecting Our Youth-educating "at risk" high school students on criminal law and the consequences of their actions;
  • Special Olympics-a partnership with the Special Olympics S.C. and the opportunity to volunteer for each of their three state-wide games held Mid-Winter, Fall, and Summer;
  • Volunteer Income Tax Assistance-free tax preparation for households with low-to-moderate incomes;
  • Voices Against Violence-a program designed to educate young lawyers about the epidemic of domestic violence and engage those young lawyers to respond and prevent domestic violence in their communities;
  • Wills Clinic-provide free wills to first response personnel including police officers, firefighters, and EMS; and
  • Publications-provide important legal information to the public.

The South Carolina YLD needs you and so does the public. Contact the South Carolina Bar and Tara Smith at 803.799.6653, ext. 146 or  tsmith@scbar.org.

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Photo of Trey Mills Trey Mills

Floyd S. “Trey” Mills III knows that suffering a personal injury through no fault of your own can be a nightmare for the victim and his or her family

Mr. Mills was born on April 24, 1978.  His parents, Floyd S. “Butch” Mills,

Floyd S. “Trey” Mills III knows that suffering a personal injury through no fault of your own can be a nightmare for the victim and his or her family

Mr. Mills was born on April 24, 1978.  His parents, Floyd S. “Butch” Mills, Jr. and Patricia Yarborough Mills, were originally from Newberry, South Carolina, and soon after the birth of Mr. Mills, his parents brought him back to be raised in the same county they grew up in.

Education

Mr. Mills attended Newberry Academy from grades K-3, Gallman Elementary 4th grade, Rikard Elementary 5-6th grade, Mid-Carolina Middle School 7-8th grades, Mid-Carolina High School from 9-12th grades, Clemson University, and Walter F. George School of Law at Mercer University.

Health Crisis

While Mr. Mills was a junior in high school he was chosen by his school to be a representative to Boys State.  This was a great honor and would have been an even better experience except, while at Boys State, Mr. Mills became unusually ill with blackouts, night sweats, and back pain.  Fortunately for Mr. Mills, his mother was an ER nurse at Lexington Medical Center, but unfortunately, for Mr. Mills that did not change his diagnosis of Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia.  Along with his diagnosis, Mr. Mills received a prognosis of two weeks.

Obviously, Mr. Mills has been blessed with his second chance at life and those who have been wronged by health care insurance companies and other types of insurance companies can feel confident in knowing that Mr. Mills can not only empathize with them but fight fervently for their side.  Mr. Mills’ cancer experience and his mother’s arduous yet unsuccessful battle against lung cancer were very trying times.  However, those real-world battles and experiences were nothing compared to the administrative and billing wars he had to encounter with Blue Cross Blue Shield Health Insurance. It seems BCBS would deny any charge over $1,000 without rational reasoning therefore prompting Mr. Mills to go to law school and carry the torch for those that were too ill to fight for themselves while the school yard bully beat them down.

College

Mr. Mills went on to Clemson University where he was very active in student activities along with academic accomplishments.  Mr. Mills was invited to join Calhoun Honor’s College, Sigma Pi fraternity, Golden Key National Honor Society, Student Government, IPTAY Student Advisory Board, and Tiger Brotherhood. Mr. Mills also worked as a student employee with IPTAY Scholarship Fund under the direction of Bert Henderson, formerly the Associate Athletic Director of Planned Giving at Clemson University.

Early Life

Mr. Mills was unsure of where his hard work and life experiences would best provide an adequate return to the outpouring of kindness he received during his cancer experience. Having received many blessings from the American Red Cross, Mr. Mills went on to be an Apheresis Donor Recruiter under the supervision of Barry Pollard at the American Red Cross Blood Donor Services in Columbia, SC after graduating Clemson University.

Running from his true calling, Mr. Mills fled to Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico to Teach English as a Foreign Language (TEFL).  Having spent a semester of college in Madrid, Spain, Mr. Mills thought he should be assisting foreign countries. Mr. Mills was certified by the Vancouver Language Centre in Guadalajara for his TEFL training.  Mr. Mills was in Guadalajara only a few months when September 11, 2001 occurred and helped him focus on his life priorities.

Law School

Mr. Mills went on to law school at Mercer University and clerked each summer trying to determine how he could best serve those less fortunate.  The corporate law firms never truly provided him with that personal feeling of assisting the common person in need.  It wasn’t until Mr. Mills became the first law clerk of the South Carolina Trial Lawyers Association under the supervision of Linda Franklin and lobbyist Michael Gunn that he realized where his education, life experience, drive, and hard work could truly benefit those who have been personally and directly affected by the negligence of another.  Mr. Mills wanted to be a coveted and much needed plaintiff’s trial attorney.  More importantly Mr. Mills realized the power of the faceless insurance companies, misinformed legislative members, and the true power of money and lobbyist in dictating laws.

What’s the one service you pay for all your life but you are actually penalized if you ever have to use it? Insurance.

Trammell & Mills

Mr. Ernie Trammell gave Mr. Mills his big break at leveling the playing field against the faceless and heartless insurance companies.  Mr. Mills works tirelessly every day in an effort to bring justice to those who have been wronged.  Mr. Mills has worked on both sides of the law and has been through some harrowing life experiences.  Mr. Mills has been tested and tried by many of the more traumatic events that life has to offer and now provides his services to the public.

Who would you rather have on your side? Someone whose resolve has been tested and tried? Or someone who has intertwined their morality and greed in such a way that they can’t tell one from the other?

Why haven’t you hired Mr. Mills to be your attorney yet?

Would you listen to the devil on how to get to Heaven? Then why listen to insurance adjusters?