Columbia – South Carolina Family Court Judges are taking steps to help in the fight against human trafficking in South Carolina.
Judges Michelle M. Hurley (5th Circuit, Columbia), Michèle Patrão Forsythe (9th Circuit, Charleston), Melissa J. Buckhannon (15th Circuit, Conway) and Jan B. Bromell Holmes (15th Circuit, Georgetown) participated in the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judge’s National Judicial Institute on Domestic Child Sex Trafficking (NJIDCST) in Asheville, NC in February alongside 34 judges from 19 states. Since the event, the S.C. jurists have developed set of lessons learned and considerations to better equip the state’s judiciary to respond to the growing challenge that human trafficking presents in our state’s courtrooms.
“In many ways, our family courts are the front line in this work,” said M&G attorney Elliott Daniels who co-founded Legal Assistance for Survivors of Trafficking. “Our state should applaud the leadership of these judges. When our courts know what to look for, our state becomes a safer place for survivors and a more dangerous place for traffickers to operate.”
The participation of Judges Hurley, Forsythe, Buckhannon and Holmes was secured with cooperation from the S.C. Human Trafficking Task Force Legal Innovation Subcommittee, the Attorney General’s Office, the South Carolina Bar and Legal Assistance for Survivors of Trafficking. Read more about the Judges’ “Lessons Learned & Considerations.”
About Murphy & Grantland
Murphy & Grantland, P.A. is a civil defense law firm headquartered in Columbia, S.C. dedicated to providing high-quality legal services with uncompromising integrity. The firm’s attorneys are focused on achieving exceptional results. Clients include insurance providers, construction companies, self-insured businesses, school districts, churches, and nonprofit organizations. The firm also has a robust pro bono practice, which includes representation of survivors of trafficking.
