Dustin Lee | Hilton Head Island Criminal Defense Lawyer

Attorney Dustin Lee is a true native of Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, located in Beaufort County.  Mr. Lee was one of the first babies born at the then newly opened hospital, and he attended local schools until he graduated Hilton Head High School and left for college.

Mr. Lee followed the advice of a respected South Carolina trial attorney mentor and attended the University of South Carolina in Columbia, South Carolina, where he majored in history, and minored in criminal justice/criminology.  During his undergraduate time, Mr. Lee lived and studied abroad for one (1) summer in the Yucatan state of Mexico, and was a resident adviser for two (2) years in the freshman “honeycombs” (a.k.a. “towers”), living in Moore hall (since replaced with newer accommodations).  Mr. Lee was also Vice President and a founding father of the University of South Carolina’s Lambda Alpha Epsilon criminal justice association, and while in charge of recruiting the chapter grew from about ten (10) to over one-hundred (100) members, becoming the largest active chapter in the country at the time.  Many of Mr. Lee’s fellow officers and members of the chapter are now involved in law enforcement throughout the state of South Carolina as state troopers, South Carolina Law Enforcement Division officers, and Solicitors.  Mr. Lee was also invited to join the University of South Carolina’s Phi Beta Kappa chapter.

Mr. Lee followed the same attorney mentor’s guidance, and stayed at the University of South Carolina for law school.  During law school, Mr. Lee clerked his second and third years for the law firm then known as Gergel, Nickles, and Solomon P.A.  Gergel, Nickles, and Solomon was a small firm, with five (5) attorneys, located in downtown Columbia, South Carolina, handling primarily personal injury and accident matters statewide.  Mr. Richard Gergel, a then named partner, is currently a federal district court judge based out of Charleston, South Carolina, and Mr. Carl Solomon is a past president of the South Carolina Bar Association.  Mr. Lee was able to gain invaluable experience working for the firm as a law clerk, with each of the attorneys one-on-one in the small firm environment, and Mr. Lee is especially grateful for the excellent guidance he was given by attorney Al Nickles (Mr. Lee considers Mr. Nickles to be one of the best legal writers in South Carolina).  Mr. Lee also worked as a live-in graduate Resident Tutor for the residents of Preston Hall at the University of South Carolina and participated in the Juvenile Justice clinic at the law school, representing juveniles in delinquency proceedings in Richland County, both during his third year of law school.

After being sworn in as a member of the South Carolina Bar, Mr. Lee opened Lee Law Firm, LLC, in December, 2008, with the aim of providing quality legal services to members of the community.  Mr. Lee is a member of the South Carolina Bar Association, the Hilton Head Island Bar Association, the Beaufort County Bar Association, the South Carolina Bar’s Family Law Section, and the South Carolina Bar’s Criminal Law Section.

Mr. Lee formerly served as a South Carolina Municipal Court Judge for the Town of Bluffton.

In addition to the practice of law, Mr. Lee enjoys both mountain and road biking, spending time with friends and family, traveling, and hanging out with his dog Pushkin (Pushkin happens to love the beach).