Jamie is a lifelong South Carolina native who brings a blend of experience in criminal law to her passion for family law. Jamie has spent the last two and a half years honing her legal and courtroom skills as a Public Defender and Assistant Solicitor, with a focus on Juvenile Court and Domestic Violence Court.
In her time as a public defender and solicitor, Jamie worked with individuals and families facing some of life’s most difficult challenges. Her experience advocating for minors and parents has given her a deep understanding of the emotional and legal complexities involved in family law matters and their profound impact on families and children. Jamie combines her legal experience with a genuine desire to help her clients navigate the often overwhelming challenges of family law and is committed to using her knowledge to protect the best interests of children and families in crisis.
Jamie graduated Summa Cum Laude from the University of South Carolina with a degree in Criminology and earned her Juris Doctor from Regent University School of Law. Outside of her legal practice, Jamie enjoys spending quality time with her husband and their “furbabies.”
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.
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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 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 South Carolina Bar Association, the Lexington County Bar Association, the South Carolina Association for Justice, and the South Carolina Women Lawyers Association. Throughout the years, Jane served in various roles within the Lexington County schools, including the Superintendent’s Parent Advisory Committee and co-chairing the 2008 Bond Referendum Committee for the Lexington One School District. She is a former member of the Lexington Junior Women’s’ Club and a former board member of the Dickerson Children’s Advocacy Center in Lexington. She currently serves as a board member for Circles of Lexington County, an organization whose mission is to help build community and end poverty.
Jane is an active member and volunteer at a Church in Lexington. She enjoys spending time with her family.
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In 2023, Ashby was named by Super Lawyers as one of the Top 25 Lawyers in South Carolina. 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 Family Law Section chair of the South Carolina Association for Justice and a member of the Board of Trustees for the South Carolina Women Lawyers Association.
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 on numerous occasions as well as one of the Best Lawyers in America on three occasions. 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.
