South Carolina Attorney, Lawyer Referral Services

Bio
Tommy is a member of the South Carolina Bar, and he has formerly served on the Fee Dispute Resolution Board as a Judge as well as participated in the Bar’s Lawyer Referral Service. He is admitted to practice before the U.S. District Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, and the U.S. District Court for the District of South Carolina. He is also a certified Circuit Court Mediator.

Tommy formerly served as a law clerk for Circuit Court Walter T. Cox, III from 1982 to 1984, and was a partner and former marketing director for Barnes, Alford, Stork and Johnson from 1984 to 2002 before he and his sister, Amy Cofield, formed Cofield Law Firm in 2002.

Tommy is active in community and civic affairs, and he serves as a Board Member for Make-A-Wish of South Carolina and also as Executive Board Member for the South Carolina Baptist Convention. He is active in the Church life at Lexington Baptist Church and serves as Moderator.

Tommy was born in Columbia, South Carolina. His family moved to Greenville in 1961, and he was raised in the Golden Strip area, which includes Fountain Inn, Simpsonville, and Mauldin. He attended Hillcrest High School where he was the football place-kicker. He grew up playing competitive golf and was a member of the Hillcrest High School Golf Team. He was selected to the All-State High School Golf Team in 1973.

Tommy earned his B.A. Degree as an English Major at the University of South Carolina. He graduated cum laude, was chosen to be a member of the Phi Beta Kappa Honor Society, and he served on The Student Court. He was a writing student under James Dickey and William Price Fox, and he won several writing awards.

Tommy married his high school sweetheart, Janet McDonald Cofield, of Mauldin, and they have two children: Thomas C. Cofield, Jr. (T.J.), who is a student at Princeton Theological Seminary, and Caitlin Carolina Cofield, who is a senior at Lexington High School.

Areas of Practice
Personal Injury Litigation/Torts
Business Litigation
Construction Litigation
Products Liability
Professional Malpractice
Workers’ Compensation
Mediation Services- Certified Circuit Court Mediator

Bar Admissions
South Carolina Bar
U.S. District Court
U.S. Court of Appeals (Fourth Circuit)
Certified Circuit Court Mediator

Education
University of South Carolina School of Law, J.D.
University of South Carolina, B.A. English cum laude

Professional/Civic Affiliations
South Carolina Bar (1982)
Lexington County Bar Association
Make-A-Wish of South Carolina, Board Member
South Carolina Baptist Convention, Executive Board Member
Lexington Chamber of Commerce
Lexington Baptist Church, Moderator
Lexington Baptist Association, Credentials Committee
University of South Carolina School of Law Alumni/Mentor
Adjunct Law Professor - Charleston School of Law

Prior Positions/Service
Lawyer Referral Service (S.C. Bar)
Fee Dispute Resolution Board (S.C. Bar)
Richland County Auto Property Damages Judge
University of South Carolina School of Law – 
Moot Court Judge, International Law Judge
Lexington High School Athletic Booster Club Board Member
Lexington High School Orchestra Board Member
Lexington High School Wrestling Booster Club Board Member

Reported Cases
Goode v. St. Stephens United Methodist Church, Op. No. 2750, Court of Appeals of South Carolina 329 S.C. 433; 494 S.E.2d 827; 1997 S.C. App. Lexis 15 Nov. 4, 1997, Submitted, Nov. 17, 1997, Filed, Rehearing Denied January 22, 1998. Rehearing Denied Sept. 28, 1998, Fortune v. Gibson, No. 1634, Ct. of Appeals of South Carolina, 304 S.C. 279; 403 S.E.2d 674; 1991 S.C. App. Lexis 54, Jan. 21, 1991, Heard, April 1, 1991, Filed; Espinal v. Blackmon, No. 1368, Court of Appeals of South Carolina, 298 S.C. 544; 381 S.E.2d 921; 1989 S.C. App. Lexis 97, June 5, 1989, Heard July 3, 1989, Decided.

Speeches/Presentations/Awards
Member Phi Beta Kappa, Honor Society
AV Peer Review Rating by Martindale Hubbell
Speaker/Presenter for continuing education seminars for S.C. Bar, NBI and for vaious business clients and schools

Writing Awards/Publications
University of South Carolina – Short Story Award, The Crucible
Tar Heel Writers Roundtable Award – Poetry
South Carolina Review – “Igneous Carolina – A Day In Five Perspectives”

Works of Writing
Copperhead Stew – A Novel
Scuffletown Road – A Novel
The Demotion of Pluto and Other Stories – Short Stories