Why did you choose to attend the University of South Carolina School of Law?
After working my way through college with a professional negligence law firm in Columbia, SC, I knew I wanted to become an attorney. South Carolina Law was the right place for me due to its location and the university's outstanding faculty. Additionally, Columbia had many employment opportunities for law students and young professionals.
Where has your job taken you?
Immediately after passing the bar exam, I performed contract work for law firms in Columbia. For a short time, I was employed by a foreclosure firm, after which I became a staff attorney with the Court of Appeals, a job that reignited my joy for legal research and writing. As my term at the court came to a close, I was still determining what type of law I wanted to practice – a process that began when I was accepted to UofSC and that finally culminated in March 2017. I worked for over three years as an attorney with Kenny Berger's firm in Columbia, handling catastrophic injury cases. On September 8, 2020, I opened Littlejohn Law LLC, a personal injury and appellate practice firm in Columbia. My knowledge gained from appellate contract work, the Court of Appeals, and personal injury practice gave me the ideal platform to create my own image of a community law firm out to help others.
What is the most valuable information you learned while you were in school?
Law school teaches you polar opposites of legal practice: you must (1) work individually on determining the answers to legal questions, but also (2) gain knowledge from others to hone your conclusions. Working with students and professors in law school was a collegial process that created a mutual understanding of the law within each class. In practice, the process is similar. Every day, I personally work cases, but also speak with other attorneys, exchanging ideas on legal issues and interpretations of the law. The process creates a purpose-driven legal community in South Carolina.
What event or professional experience has given you the most satisfaction?
While at a personal injury law firm a few years ago, we took on a case that other firms didn't want because it was "too messy." There were questions about liability, prior injuries, and quality of life. Ultimately, the case ended with an outstanding outcome for the client and a friendly relationship I still have with the client to this day. This case is always one I use an example of why we do what we do. It's more than the law; someone's life has been negatively affected, and we are the ones this individual has trusted to make it right again.
(Obviously, outcomes are never guaranteed in our practice.)
What information would you give a graduating class member seeking your advice on a legal career?
It is okay not to know what you want to do while in law school and after graduating law school. As long as you give 100 percent effort in your current position and keep your relationships strong with members of the bar, the right fit will come along. Stay involved in the law through communities, events, and individual contacts.
What do you do for fun?
I love to hang out on our horse farm with my wife, Patti, and our two kids, Connor and Reau. When we aren't playing together, we are cooking or watching Gamecock sports as a family.