Ask J. Taylor Bell what he most enjoys about his criminal defense law practice and his response is unequivocal: “Fighting the power.” “Criminal defense attorneys are the shield that protects the individual from the almighty government machine,” he says. “It doesn’t care about feelings or individual circumstances. It’s a machine, and it wants to roll. If you get caught in it, you just get run over unless you have somebody who’s going to stand up for you.” A North Carolina native who grew up near Charlotte, Bell received a Bachelor of Science degree in business administration from the University of North Carolina at Wilmington in 2007. After working in the financial services industry for a year, Bell decided to go to law school after realizing he wanted a direct hand in helping people. Bell has focused on representing criminal defendants ever since his student days at the University of South Carolina School of Law, where he received his Juris Doctor degree in 2011. During law school, he clerked at the Richland County Public Defender’s office in Columbia and continued to work there as an attorney after earning his law license. He remained at the public defender’s office for six years, handling the full spectrum of criminal defense cases, ranging from the most serious felonies to misdemeanors. He tried numerous jury trials in both general sessions court and magistrates’ court, and was one of the lead defense attorneys in the first human-trafficking case ever brought before the South Carolina Grand Jury. In 2015, Bell received intensive additional training in the art of jury persuasion at the National Criminal Defense College Trial Practice Institute.

Dayne Phillips is focused on one goal in every case: To achieve the best possible result by providing passionate and personalized representation. This is accomplished by placing an emphasis on open and constant communication with his clients.Dayne firmly believes that success is a result of having a diligent work ethic—including working long hours on nights and weekends—and a client-focused approach to every case. His mission is to defend every case as if it was one of his family members or friends on trial. As an accomplished advocate, he is always seeking to obtain a superior knowledge of criminal law and defenses. He is constantly learning the new aggressive tactics used by police officers and prosecutors to obtain a conviction. When your freedom and future are in jeopardy, you need a lawyer who is not afraid to challenge the government and who is genuinely concerned about the well-being of his clients. Dayne Phillips is that criminal defense lawyer, and he is here to help when you need it most. Experience & Background Dayne Phillips began his professional career as an Assistant Appellate Defender in the Appellate Division of the South Carolina Commission on Indigent Defense (SCCID). He managed a large and diverse caseload that included convictions for murder, drug trafficking, burglary, and felony DUI. Notably, he has obtained numerous reversals on appeal for his clients and has successfully argued to create laws that protect the rights of South Carolina citizens. Dayne then joined the Eleventh Circuit Public Defender’s Office as an Assistant Public Defender, where he defended all types of felony and misdemeanor offenses, including—but not limited to—murder, attempted murder, burglary, armed robbery, drug trafficking, criminal sexual conduct, domestic violence, and DUIs. Dayne’s cases have been featured in The State Newspaper, SC Lawyers Weekly, and local TV news stations. He has lectured on topics such as constitutional rights, motions practice, and preserving issues for appellate review at CLE training seminars. In short, he is a highly trained and experienced criminal defense lawyer and appellate litigator who has dedicated his life to defending the accused and convicted. Dayne is a graduate of the University of South Carolina School of Law, the National Criminal Defense College, and the National Forensic College. He has experience successfully defending the accused by receiving numerous not guilty verdicts in felony jury trials, as well as successfully arguing before the South Carolina Court of Appeals and the Supreme Court of South Carolina. In law school, Dayne worked as a law clerk for John Delgado—a prominent criminal defense and death penalty defense attorney. After assisting Delgado in several murder trials and high-profile cases, criminal defense quickly became his life’s calling. This incredible experience made him passionate about challenging the government and defending the underdog. In short, he learned the true meaning of zealous advocacy from his mentor and is forever grateful for Delgado teaching him to how “fight the good fight” in every case. Dayne is a proud native of South Carolina. Born and raised in Lexington County, he graduated from Airport High School in 2003 and the University of South Carolina in 2007. He then earned his Juris Doctor degree from the University of South Carolina School of Law in 2010. The three pillars of Dayne’s life are his family, friends, and love for football. Dayne grew up in Pine Ridge where his family taught him work ethic and unconditional love. His amazing wife is a public school teacher and is a two-time Teacher of the Year for her school, and District Teacher of the Year. His spunky daughter keeps him on his toes and is the greatest thing to ever happened to him. He is also blessed with incredibly supportive parents and in-laws who are the cornerstone of his family.

Bill Nettles possesses an extraordinary, almost unparalleled depth and breadth of experience. You cannot find an attorney who will be better equipped to provide you with the high-quality representation you deserve. Mr. Nettles was appointed United States Attorney for the District of South Carolina by President Obama and was sworn into that office on May 3, 2010. As the US Attorney, he dramatically overhauled the office to focus on public corruption, fraud and white collar crime, while also greatly increasing resources to the extraordinarily important false claims whistleblower division. Under Mr. Nettles' leadership, the US Attorney's office made white collar crime and public corruption the highest priority of the criminal division's efforts He also earned national praise for the innovative and intelligent approach his office took to drug crimes. Mr. Nettles was the longest serving US attorney since the 1960's, ensuring he had an extraordinary impact on the personnel and the policies of that important office. Because of his service as the United States Attorney for the entire state of South Carolina he has worked with the heads of the Department of Justice to help shape policy for the last 5 and a half years. Before being appointed a US Attorney, Mr. Nettles graduated from The Citadel and earned his law degree at The Widener University School of Law, where he was on law review and was a member of the moot court honor society. After graduating, he began a career that has taken him into every corner of the legal system. Mr. Nettles began his career as a public defender in Columbia, providing criminal defense services to indigent defendants who could not afford attorneys. During that time, he ensured that the legal system would not leave the economically disadvantaged behind. From 1997 to 2005, Mr. Nettles worked in private practice as a sole practitioner. He continued his criminal defense work and became one of the region's most well-respected "white collar crime" lawyers. He also represented clients accused of drug crimes, handled several court-appointed capital cases, twice tried cases that were argued before the United States Supreme Court and worked in medical malpractice and other torts. Starting in 2005, he worked at Sanders & Nettles, LLC until being appointed the US Attorney. As you can see, Mr. Nettles is experienced in a wide range of case types. He understands both state and federal criminal procedures and has the respect of every judge and opposing lawyer in the area. When you choose Bill Nettles, you choose an attorney who has proven time and again that his clients receive the best possible aggressive legal representation.

Elizabeth Franklin-Best is a nationally recognized federal criminal defense and appellate attorney with over 23 years of experience in high-stakes post-conviction advocacy. She holds a J.D. and M.A. in Philosophy from the University of Wyoming and is admitted to practice before the U.S. Supreme Court and all U.S. Circuit Courts of Appeals. Elizabeth exclusively represents clients in federal courts and agencies, focusing on appeals and post-conviction relief, sentence mitigation, federal supervised release matters, and pre-trial and trial representation. Her practice encompasses § 3582(c)(2) motions, § 2255 motions, § 2241 petitions, compassionate release, early termination of supervised release, and presidential pardon petitions. Author of Reversing Your Criminal Conviction: Develop Your Winning Strategy (2023), she was named 2010 “Public Defender of the Year” by the South Carolina Public Defender Association. Elizabeth provides individualized, compassionate representation, ensuring no stone is left unturned in pursuing justice for each client.