Member Category: Attorney

About William Koontz

Attorney

William represents clients in divorce, custody, child support, and other Family Court matters, with an emphasis on excellence, strategy, and principled advocacy.  Originally from British Columbia, Canada, Mr. Koontz graduated from Davidson College in 2012 and set down roots in Columbia since then. He has built his family and legal career in South Carolina over these past years with the hopes of giving back to the community he calls home. William’s spouse is a Lexington native, and they have deep personal and professional ties to the Columbia and Lexington communities. Before joining Ashby Jones & Associates, LLC, William practiced with litigation-focused firms, handling complex civil litigation, appellate advocacy, and high-conflict custody matters. His background also includes experience working within the South Carolina Judicial Department, providing him with valuable insight into Family Court procedure and practice.

Mr. Koontz earned his Juris Doctor, cum laude, from the University of South Carolina School of Law, where he was recognized for excellence in legal writing and rhetoric. He is an active member of the South Carolina Bar and has served in leadership and service roles focused on professional wellness and diversity.  An advocate for equality and the rule of law, Mr. Koontz believes strongly in mentorship and service. Outside of the practice of law, he enjoys orienteering, reading, and mentoring though he may also be found playing board games or pinball. 

About Lori Dandridge Stoney

Attorney

Lori has over 30 years of experience in family court litigation. She is a Certified Family Court Mediator and represents clients in all aspects of family law, including divorce, custody, support, equitable distribution, and domestic violence matters.

It is her privilege to guide clients through what is often one of the most difficult transitions of their lives. Clients value her honesty, clear communication, careful preparation, problem-solving, and passionate advocacy for them and their families.

Lori earned her Bachelor of Arts in English and Philosophy from the College of Charleston in 1989. She received her Juris Doctor from the University of South Carolina School of Law in 1992, where she was awarded the American Jurisprudence Award for academic excellence in Constitutional Law. She is admitted to practice before the South Carolina Supreme Court, the United States District Court for the District of South Carolina, and the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit. She is a member of the American Bar Association, the South Carolina Bar Association, and the Dorchester, Berkeley, and Charleston County Bar Associations, serving clients statewide.

Lori has a longstanding commitment to public service. She was a Jefferson Award for Public Service finalist for her work as founder and director of Outreach for Kids, a nonprofit organization serving foster children. She also served on the board of the John Ancrum SPCA (now Charleston Animal Society), where she was recognized with both the Capital Campaign and Building Committee Award for Service and the President’s Award for her leadership and dedication.

About Megan Hunt Dell

Megan was named a Rising Star by Super Lawyers in 2019, 2020, 2023, 2024, and 2025. After growing up in Berkeley County, Megan graduated from the College of Charleston and the Charleston School of Law. Megan has spent her entire career focused on Family Court cases, and she has maintained a blog about South Carolina Family Court, which can be accessed here.

While pursuing her education, Megan completed courses in public relations, marketing, family and relationship communications and functioning, social systems, cultural norms, history and development of child welfare policy, and child development and education. Megan’s education is the foundation for how she develops strategies in complex divorce cases and child custody disputes.

Between 2012 and 2016, Megan served on the Charleston School of Law Alumni Association’s Board of Directors.  For the South Carolina Bar Association, Megan has served in the House of Delegates, as well as on the Publications Committee, Resolution of Fee Disputes Board, and the Family Law Section.

Since 2013, Megan has regularly presented seminars for the South Carolina Bar Association and the Charleston County Bar Association.

In addition to trial-level experience, Megan has handled numerous appeals before the South Carolina Court of Appeals and the South Carolina Supreme Court, including petitions for rehearing and petitions for certiorari, as well as seeking awards of costs upon receipt of successful results. For those appeals, Megan has briefed complex legal issues including civil procedure, admission of evidence, custody of children, and equitable division of property. 

When Megan is not practicing law, she is spending time with her family, listening to podcasts and audiobooks, and singing loudly and off-key.

About Desiree Witherspoon

Attorney

Desiree graduated Magna Cum Laude from the College of Charleston in 2022 with a degree in Political Science. In 2025, she graduated from the University of South Carolina Joseph F. Rice School of Law, where she also received a certificate for her concentration in Children’s Law. She was a member of the Phi Delta Phi Legal Professional Fraternity, the USC Black Law Student Association, and the Carolina Equality Alliance organization. Desiree was Vice President of the First Generation Law Student Association, and President of the Family Law Society. During law school, Desiree served as a student attorney with the Youth Defender Clinic. Outside of her legal work, Desiree enjoys traveling, painting, or spending time with her bull terrier, Bear.

About April W. Sampson

In 2023, April received the Trial and Appellate Advocacy Award from the South Carolina Bar in recognition of her outstanding trial techniques and for exemplifying the highest standards of professional competence and integrity.  She is a graduate of Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri, and the University of South Carolina School of Law.  April’s focus is state and federal criminal law, and she is licensed to practice in the United States District Court and the United States Supreme Court.  April has been recognized for her knowledge of Stand Your Ground law and has trained judges, prosecutors and defense attorneys on how to handle these hearings.  April is a featured guest commentator on CourtTV and was one of the prosecutors who convicted Nathaniel Rowland of murder in the infamous mistaken ride share murder of Samantha Josephson.  April was selected as the 2022 South Carolina Women Lawyers Association Emerging Leader and a graduate of the 2023 Leadership of South Carolina program.

April is an active member of the South Carolina Bar Association, Richland County Bar Association, and the Black Lawyers Association.  She is the 2022 recipient of the Jonathan Jasper Wright Award, which was presented by the National Black Law Students Association in recognition for her work with mock trial teams.  As the former Circuit Deputy Solicitor for the Fifth Circuit, April has prosecuted hundreds of cases and trained prosecutors on the state and national level.  She has over 2 decades of knowledge on how to defend criminal cases and is a sharp adversary in the courtroom.  She has been a presenter and several continuing legal education seminars across the state and for the National District Attorneys Association.

In 2014, after successfully battling breast cancer, April started a nonprofit organization called In The Middle, which provides financial assistance to breast cancer survivors in South Carolina who are financially “in the middle” – survivors who are employed or have health insurance, so they do not qualify for any assistance programs but who don’t have enough money to pay for all the costs that come with fighting breast cancer.  Her passion and dedication to helping those in need is one of the reasons she was named as a 2023 recipient of the University of South Carolina Compleat Lawyer Award, which recognizes alumni for their outstanding civic and professional accomplishments, significant contributions to the legal profession, and those who exemplify the highest standards of professional competence, ethics, and integrity.

About Brianna “Bri” Nicole Basinger

Attorney

Brianna graduated in 2022 from Wofford College. In 2025, she graduated from the University of South Carolina Joseph F. Rice School of Law, where she received recognition for a concentration in children’s law. She was a member of the Lincoln-Douglas Society and First Generation Law Student Association, and served as a research assistant for Professor S. Bauries. 

During law school, Brianna was in the Domestic Violence Clinic. She represented indigent clients seeking emergency civil legal protection through Orders of Protection in Family Court. She also prepared applications for affirmative domestic violence-related immigration remedies, such as VAWA Self-Petitions. 

Brianna is local to Charleston, SC and enjoys spending time on the water, antiquing, or with her boykin spaniel, Riggs.

About Jane W. Waters

Jane graduated in 1992 from the University of South Carolina, where she was a member of Chi Omega Sorority. In 1996, she graduated from the University of South Carolina School of Law, where she was a member of the Pro Bono Board and served as a volunteer guardian ad litem with the Richland County CASA program.

After law school, Jane was a Judicial Law Clerk for the Honorable Marc H. Westbrook, Circuit Court Judge of the Eleventh Judicial Circuit. She worked for the Eleventh Circuit Solicitor’s Office in Lexington from 1997 until 2003. In 2003, she opened Waters Law, LLC, where for over twenty years she worked as a solo practitioner, focusing on family law and children’s advocacy. A significant portion of that time was spent serving as a guardian ad litem in contested custody cases. From 2006-2023, Jane worked with Sistercare, representing domestic violence survivors in Family Court. From 2016 until 2023, Jane represented parents in cases against the Department of Social Services through the South Carolina Office of Indigent Defense.

Jane is a member of the Lexington County Bar Association, where she serves on the Executive Board as Chair of the Continuing Legal Education Committee. She is also a member of the Richland County Bar Association, the South Carolina Bar Association, the South Carolina Association for Justice, and the South Carolina Women Lawyers Association. She also occasionally assists with Fee Dispute matters in the Eleventh Judicial Circuit. In 2025, Jane was recognized by her peers for excellence in Family Law by being named one of the Legal Elite of the Midlands.

Jane has a heart for service and throughout the years, she has served the community by participating with various school and civic organizations. She is a member of the Lexington Woman’s Club, and she currently serves as Chair of the Advisory Board for Connections Lexington Community, an organization whose mission is to help build community and end poverty.
Jane is an active member and volunteer at a local church in Lexington and she enjoys spending time with her family and friends.

About Ashby Lawton Jones † *

In 2023 and 2025, Ashby was named by Super Lawyers as one of the Top 25 Lawyers in South Carolina regardless of practice area. She is a graduate of Presbyterian College and the University of South Carolina School of Law. Ashby’s focus is domestic litigation, though she has practiced extensively in Circuit Court and is licensed to practice in the United States District Court and the United States Supreme Court. Ashby is one of few South Carolina domestic practitioners admitted as a Fellow in the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers, generally recognized by judges and attorneys as preeminent family law practitioners with a high level of knowledge, skill and integrity. Ashby is Board Certified in the area of Family Law by the National Board of Trial Advocates and in 2022 was inducted into the charter chapter of the South Carolina Family Law Inn of Court as a Master. She is the 11th Circuit Governor for the South Carolina Association for Justice.

Ashby holds an AV Preeminent peer-review rating from Martindale-Hubbell. She has contributed to the SCAJ journal, The Bulletin, and the national magazine Family Lawyer. She was appointed by the Chief Justice of the South Carolina Supreme Court as a Lawyer-Neutral Member of the Commission on Alternative Dispute Resolution in 2022 and sits on the Advisory Board for the Lexington District One Center for Law and Global Policy Development. She speaks regularly at continuing legal education seminars.

Ashby has been named a Super Lawyers Selectee and listed as one of the Best Lawyers in America on multiple. She is a 2022 recipient of the University of South Carolina Compleat Lawyer Award, which recognizes alumni for their outstanding civic and professional accomplishments, significant contributions to the legal profession, and those who exemplify the highest standards of professional competence, ethics, and integrity.