West to make home in Florence as federal magistrate judge [Florence Morning News, S.C.]

Ms. West, who practices in several areas of litigation, is replacing The Honorable Shiva V. Hodges, who is returning to the Columbia Division. Ms. West was selected by the U.S. District Court Judges after screening by a panel of local legal and community leaders. Her term runs eight years.

"I am honored to have the opportunity to serve on the bench," Ms. West said. "Nelson Mullins has afforded me many opportunities to grow and learn through representing clients in their court matters, and I look forward to applying my skills to my future work."

Ms. West joined Nelson Mullins in 2001 as a second career after 16 years with an electric utility company. She earned her Juris Doctor from the University of South Carolina in 2000. During law school she served as research editor for the ABA Real Property, Probate and Trust Journal and was vice president of the Black Law Students Association. She received the 2000 Compleat Lawyer Award and also earned a CALI Award for Substantive Criminal Law. Ms. West earned a Bachelor of Arts in Public Affairs, summa cum laude, from Columbia College.

In 2006 Ms. West completed an externship at the South Carolina Attorney General's Office where she served as Pro Bono Special Prosecutor. This service allowed her the opportunity to prosecute criminal domestic violence cases while providing a valuable service to the State of South Carolina.

She served as judicial law clerk to the Honorable Joseph F. Anderson, Jr., U.S. District Court for the District of S.C., before joining Nelson Mullins.

Ms. West is a member of the American Bar Association and was the recipient of the American Bar Association Young Lawyers Division 2001-02 Minorities in the Profession Committee scholarship. As a member of the American Bar Association, she serves on the Editorial Board of The Brief, a publication of the ABA Tort Trial & Insurance Practice Section (TIPS).

Ms. West is a member of the American Law Firm Association, the South Carolina Defense Trial Attorneys' Association, the SC Black Lawyers Association, SC Women Lawyers Association, and the Federal Bar Association. She also is a past president of the S.C. Chapter of the Federal Bar Association. Additionally, she served on the South Carolina Bar's Judicial Qualifications Committee and as Chair of the YLD's Diversity/Minority Impact Committee. She is a member of the Richland County Bar Association and the John Belton O'Neall Inn of Court. Ms. West's community service includes the Riverbanks Zoo Society Board and Columbia College's President's Advisory Council.

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