Todd elected 8th Circuit family court judge
James C. Todd IV
Laurens native and Presbyterian College graduate James C. (Jim) Todd IV was been elected this past week by the South Carolina General Assembly as a family court judge for the 8th Circuit, which includes Laurens, Greenwood, Abbeville and Newberry counties.
Todd said the election was the end of a nine-month process with the state legislature that takes him back to the 8th Judicial Circuit where he has already spent part of his career. He worked as an assistant solicitor in the 8th Circuit from 2016-18 before joining Greenville-based Cordell & Cordell, firm specializing in family law.
“It’s not something I set out on day one said, ‘I want to be a judge one day,'” Todd said. “I was happy where I was and was helping people. I’ve been the most effective in my career in family law, and I could’ve stayed in private practice and helped hundreds of people over the next few years, but as a judge, I can impact thousands of people.”
He also said that he received encouragement from his family, which includes wife Ashley and two small children, and friends and colleagues from across the state.
Todd will succeed Matthew Turner, another Laurens native, on the bench in the 8th Circuit. Turner was selected to the South Carolina Court of Appeals in April of last year.
“I’ve always been passionate about family law and helping people during their most difficult and vulnerable times,” he said. “I love Laurens and love the community, so being able to help people in those times of disarray and to be able to do that in my own community can be extra rewarding.”
After graduating from PC in 2009 with a degree in political science and government, Todd received his Doctor of Law degree from the Charleston School of Law in 2013.
Todd’s final day of practice with Cordell & Cordell will be March 7. He is set to begin his new job on March 17.
“There are things I will miss about private practice – my colleagues and interacting with other attorneys throughout the Upstate,” he said. “It will all be from behind the bench starting in March.”
