Robert D. Garfield is a Charleston native who has practiced law since his admission to the South Carolina Bar in 1994. Robert attended the University of South Carolina and obtained his B.A. in political science from the South Carolina Honors College in 1989. He received his J.D. in 1993 from the University of South Carolina School of Law. He joined the Aiken County Public Defender’s Office after law school, followed by the Eleventh Circuit Solicitor’s Office in 1995.

During his tenure as a criminal prosecutor from 1995 to 2000 under Solicitor Donald V. Myers, Robert became the chief drug prosecutor and conducted dozens of trials, including serious offenses and violent felonies. In his five years of service, Robert negotiated and appeared on behalf of the State in roughly two thousand guilty pleas across three South Carolina counties. During this period, Robert served as Senior Assistant Solicitor and helped launch the Lexington County Drug Court Program as a founding steering committee member.

Since 2001, Robert has dedicated his practice to representing hundreds of police officers and first responders, including sheriffs, police chiefs, and Circuit Solicitors in civil actions and litigation throughout South Carolina. During this time in private practice, Robert has served as lead counsel in nearly 40 trials in federal and state courts defending governmental entities and law enforcement agencies. He has obtained defense verdicts in over 30 jury trials involving federal constitutional and state tort claims such as false arrest, malicious prosecution, excessive force, and K-9 apprehensions against law enforcement, including agency heads and command staff. Additionally, Robert has served on the Board of Directors for the South Carolina Law Enforcement Officers’ Foundation and regularly speaks at law enforcement training programs.

In recent years, law enforcement agencies and police officers have faced scrutiny and significant challenges. Throughout his career, which spans three decades, Robert’s greatest professional motivation comes from his belief that police officers and other first responders are our country’s true heroes and deserve the most dedicated and skilled representation in our judicial system.