Continuing Legal Exploration

First, a confession: although I was born and raised in McCormick County, I have done a terrible job of exploring the area surrounding McCormick. I have explored Georgia, North Carolina, Virginia, and even Maryland. For whatever reason, however, McCormick County and the areas adjacent have remained a blind spot in my worldview. 

Greenwood also remained obscured by my ignorance, despite the fact that I pass through it multiple times each month. Enter the 2019 Blues, BBQ, & Bar CLE hosted by the South Carolina Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers. Although the CLE was targeted at criminal defense attorneys, the sessions ran the gamut from appellate practice to trial technique, judicial ethics to effective use of exhibits. Most importantly, the CLE coincided with Greenwood’s Festival of Discovery, an annual tradition inviting the best pit masters in the Southeast to descend upon Greenwood to spread the Gospel of Smoked Meat.

On the day of the CLE, I wasn’t sure what to expect as a Greenwood neophyte—all I knew was that I was late. With opening remarks scheduled for 8:30 AM, my 7:40 departure from Greenville left much to be desired. When I arrived, I discovered that the entire city square was filled with food vendors and parking was scarce. After abandoning my car at a nearby park, I hustled to the venue: the Inn on the Square.

The Inn is an elegantly restored hotel dating back to the turn of the 20^th Century, the likes of which one might find in Charleston or Savannah. It sits at one end of Greenwood’s carefully manicured town square. The façade of the Inn is an understated gray, with white accents framing the awning above the entrance. The Inn’s lobby is styled in a similarly classic fashion, with overstuffed antique couches and chairs. Above the reception desk, the ceiling vaulted to reveal an indoor courtyard of sorts where balconies allow folks on the second and third floors to peer into the lobby.  

The Inn was a perfect host to a fantastic CLE. Each speaker was passionate about his or her field and delivered presentations that were both engaging and informative. Out of the gate, Tricia Blanchette did a masterful job conveying the importance of creating a record in all matters before a court—a lesson that many of us tend to forget amidst the tunnel vision of trial work. Tricia was followed by a discussion with Justice John Few in which he urged attorneys not to be afraid to push back when challenged by a judge. An effective advocate, Judge Few reminded us, should never go down without a fight. Ryan Schwartz spoke on another point that is often too easily forgotten: the importance of believing our clients and fighting for the truth, even when it may contradict the opinion of experts in their field. Our afternoon sessions covered the impact of narrative and illustrative exhibits at trial and the labyrinthine arena of probation and parole. The day ended with a session led by legendary defense attorney Rauch Wise, who just so happened to be local to Greenwood.  

Despite the all-star lineup of speakers, the city of Greenwood stole the show. During our lunch break, we were encouraged to explore the Festival of Discovery, which kicked off in the morning and continued into the night. The assemblage of pit masters hailed from every corner of the state and beyond, with every possible cut of pork, beef, and chicken on hand. I moseyed down Main Street, taking in the smells, with the intention of finding ribs. When I reached the end of the vendors, however, I kept walking. 

I was struck by the beauty of Greenwood’s downtown. Its city center, adorned with picturesque green awnings, meshes perfectly with the vintage storefronts on Waller Avenue. I looped back around to Riley Avenue, where I paused to take a picture of the Grier Building—a gorgeous low-rise building first built in the 1920’s.  An hour of exploration passed before my stomach brought me back to the food trucks. By the time I chose a shady spot among the tree-lined medians of Main Street, my hands full of ribs and pulled pork, I knew that I had to return to Greenwood. 

As young attorneys, it’s tempting to view CLE’s as an inconvenient but necessary burden we must shoulder in order to practice. It doesn’t have to be that way. My trip to Greenwood reminded me that CLE’s can be an opportunity to broaden our horizons—not only as it pertains to our practice, but also our connection to our beautiful state. Make an adventure of it and you may find yourself breaking free from the confines of a course syllabus. If you’re like me, you may discover a hidden gem right in your backyard. If you’re especially lucky, you might wind up sampling the best barbeque in the Southeast along the way.  

Rip Bussey is an associate attorney with Farnsworth Law Offices in Greenville, South Carolina where his practice focuses on Criminal Defense, Personal Injury, and Probate cases. Rip graduated from the Wake Forest University School of Law in 2014 before practicing Criminal and Family law in Richmond, Virginia. He moved to Greenville in 2018 so that he could be closer to his native home of Clarks Hill, South Carolina.