DIANE P. DeWITT
1215 Boundary Street
P.O. Box 1402
(Home Address) 507 Belleview Circle
Beaufort, SC 29901

EDUCATION
1983, Juris Doctor, University of South Carolina School of Law
Admitted - South Carolina 1983
Admitted - United States District Court 1984
1980, B.S. Business Administration, University of South Carolina
Major - Accounting; Gamma Beta Phi Honor Society
1973, Beaufort High School, Beaufort, SC

EMPLOYMENT:

1993-present. Private Practice. Law Offices of Diane P. DeWitt, Beaufort, S. C.
General trial practice in magistrate, general sessions, family, common pleas, U.S. District Courts, administrative appeals, estate and probate planning, business law and mediation . SCDSS Contract Attorney for prosecution of child abuse and adult protective services cases. Guardian ad litem in private custody cases as appointed by court.

1988-1993. Chief Public Defender for Beaufort County. Represented indigent adults and juveniles charged with crimes. Sole counsel in more than 100 jury trials; Preparation of budget requests and reports in accordance with state and county law and regulations, supervision and training of attorneys and staff; co-counsel on staff attorney trials.

1983-1988, Managing Attorney, Lowcountry Legal Services, Walterboro, S.C., represented veterans, seniors, children, and other indigents in civil matters in U.S. District Court, Common Pleas and Magistrate Courts, Family Court and in administrative appeals and social security matters. Supervised and trained staff. Prepared budgets and reports in accordance with federal law and regulations.
Presented public education seminars to seniors, veterans, church and school groups

1983-1982. Legal Writing Instructor, USC Law School; trained first year law students in legal research and writing methods

1982-1981. Research Assistant. Professor Rick Handel, USC Law School, taught tax research to second and third year law students; edited bar review materials on income tax and estate tax issues; researched tax opinions for professor's writing and speaking engagements

1983-1980. Law Clerk. Richland Co. Public Defender Office. Research and brief writing, investigation of cases.

1971-1980. Courier in High School, then receptionist, secretary, title researcher, paralegal and investigator for various law firms in Beaufort, Hilton Head Island, and Columbia, S. C.

FACULTY POSITIONS:

Webster University, Beaufort, SC - Adjunct Faculty. 1993-1997, Taught Graduate courses in Business Ethics and Business Law

Technical College of Lowcountry - Adjunct Faculty. 1987-1997 Taught Criminal Evidence, Family Law, Legal Research and Writing, Criminal Law, Constitutional Law, Interviewing and Counseling; Confidentiality and Ethics

Police Reserve OfficerTraining Course - Instructor - 2000, 2001, 2002 Taught Ethics, Constitutional Law, Laws of Arrest, and Search and Seizure laws.

PUBLIC SPEAKING:

S. C. League of Women Voters Forum, 2006 Comparison of federal and states' methods of judicial selection
Beaufort Rotary Club - Law Enforcement Officer of the Year presentation 2003- 2007
Court Appointments, Annual Women Lawyer's Conference, 2005
Domestic Violence and Family Law, S.C. Bar Speaker's Bureau, Beaufort Co. Library 2005
Write Your Own Script, S. C. Bar CLE 2005
Understanding Custody and Support Laws, 5th Annual Fatherhood Conference, 2005
Intensive Family Law Seminar, S. C. Bar CLE moderator, 2004
Procedures for Appointment of Guardians, S. C. Bar CLE, 2004
Domestic Violence in South Carolina, Annual Conference, S. C. League of Women
Voters, 2003
Alternatives to Parental Custody, S.C. Bar CLE, 2003
Private Guardian ad Litem Training, Coordinator, Moderator, Panel Member
S.C. Bar CLE 2003
Courtroom Conduct, S.C. Bar CLE, 2002
Notice Requirements, S.C. Bar CLE, 2002
Rules of Civil Procedure and Evidence, SCDSS Beaufort Staff Training 2001
Handling Domestic Violence Cases in Family and Criminal Courts, SC Bar CLE 2000
Soldiers & Sailor's Civil Relief Act, S.C. Bar CLE 2000
Corroborating the Client's Story, S. C. Bar CLE 1999
History of Beaufort Public Defender's Office, Lowcountry Rotary Club, 1996
The Importance of Education for Women, Battery Creek High School 1996
Careers in the Legal Profession, Technical College of the Lowcountry 1995
Best Budget Proposals, S.C. Public Defender Conference 1994
Insanity Defense, U.S. Law WHHI-TV 1994
Women and the Law, MCAS Beaufort 1993
Criminal Justice System, Leadership Beaufort 1993
Pre-Trial Motions Practice, Public Defender Training Conference 1992
Press Access to Juvenile Hearings, Public Defender Training Conference 1991
Juvenile Transfer Hearings, Public Defender Conference 1990

OTHER

Contributor to South Carolina Family Law Toolkit, (2002) prepared for the S.C.
Bar by the Family Law Section Council
Member, Editorial Review Board, Marriage and Divorce Law in South Carolina -
A Layperson's Guide, by Roy T. Stuckey, 2001
1993 Award for Contributions to Federal Women's Programs, MCAS, Beaufort
1997 Qualified and Nominated to serve as Family Court Judge - 14th Circuit, by the Judicial Merit Selection Commission of the S.C. General Assembly
2000 Qualified and Nominated to serve as Circuit Court Judge - 14th Circuit by
the Judicial Merit Selection Commission of the S. C. General Assembly
2000 Qualified and Not Nominated to serve as Circuit Court Judge - At Large
by the Judicial Merit Selection Commission of the S. C. General Assembly
2006 Qualified and Nominated to serve as Circuit Court Judge - 14th Circuit by
the Judicial Merit Selection Commission of the S. C. General Assembly

PAST AND PRESENT MEMBERSHIPS/ACTIVITIES:
S.C. Bar Association, Family Law & Solo Practitioner Sections,
past Chairperson Family Law Section Council, Council member
1997 through 2005, section delegate; pro bono and speaker's bureau volunteer, mentor for young lawyers; scoring and presiding judge Middle School Mock Trial competition; past High School Mock Trial Attorney Coach; mentor and volunteer attorney for CODA;Volunteer Lawyer for Legal Assistance to Military Program
S.C. Women Lawyer's Association, volunteer mentor; presenter H.S.
Career Fairs; Cinderella Project, CAPA school supplies donor
Beaufort Co. Bar Association; past chairperson Beaufort Defender
Corporation Board; Palmetto Pride Volunteer
Former member Colleton & Hampton Co. Bar Associations
American Bar Association, Family Law and Litigation Sections, S.C.
Family Law Delegate to ABA Conference 2004
Baptist Church of Beaufort, Personnel Committee and Ad Hoc Real Estate Acquisition Committees; volunteer Operation Good
Neighbor, former young adult Sunday SchoolTeacher at Hendersonville Baptist, Yemessee
Salvation Army of the Lowcountry, Advisory Board member, Endowment and Executive Committee member, Chairperson, Christmas Fundraising Committee
Beaufort Rotary Club, Director of Community Services; Chairperson, Law Enforcement Awards Committee; Counselor, past Director of International Services; Youth Exchange program counselor,
Career Day Volunteer; Palmetto Pride volunteer; sustaining Paul Harris Fellow
Battery Creek High School, PTO and Booster Club; former member
Robert Smalls Middle School and Shell Point Elem PTO/Booster
Beaufort Regional Chamber of Commerce
Friends of the Library, Beaufort, S. C.
Carolina Alumni Association -member/donor
USC Law School Alumni Foundation - member/donor
AARP
Penn Pal, Penn Center, St. Helena, SC
Nature Conservancy
Smithsonion
Friends of the Rivers - volunteer litter and river cleanup
Friends of Hunting Island - volunteer litter and beach cleanup
National Republican Party; National Republican Congressional Committee - Honorary Chair S. C. Business Advisory Council. 2006 S.C. Businesswoman of the Year; 2006 National Leadership Award; 2007 Congressional Order of Merit Award
Beaufort County Republican Party
Beaufort Area Republican Club
Beaufort Republican Women's Club