Patrick J. McLaughlin was born and raised in Florence, South Carolina.  Upon graduating from the University of South Carolina in 1997, Mr. McLaughlin continued to work in management for a company that runs several family entertainment centers in North and South Carolina.  In 2002, Mr. McLaughlin chose to return to school, enrolling at the University of South Carolina School of Law.  Upon graduating from law school in December 2005, Mr. McLaughlin returned home to Florence and began his legal practice with the Wukela Law Firm. He was admitted to the South Carolina Bar in 2006 and remains an active member.

Mr. McLaughlin’s practice focuses on representing plaintiffs in personal injury, civil rights cases, and wrongful death cases.  He also practices criminal defense, defending those accused of crimes, DUIs and traffic violations in South Carolina.

Mr. McLaughlin is a current member, former Board of Directors member and past President of the South Carolina Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (SCACDL), the state’s largest professional association of criminal defense lawyers.  He founded and chairs SCACDL’s annual Criminal Law 101 CLE.

Mr. McLaughlin is also a member of the South Carolina Association of Justice (SCAJ), the DUI Defense Lawyers Association (DUIDLA) and serves on the Board of Directors for Justice 360. He is a member of the Florence County Bar, having served as an officer and President (2018).

Mr. McLaughlin has undergone National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) training in the following:

-DUI Detection and Standardized Field Sobriety Testing (SFST)
-Advanced Roadside Impairment Driving Enforcement (A.R.I.D.E)
-Drug Evaluation and Classification (DECP)/ Drug Recognition Expert (DRE)

Mr. McLaughlin has tried jury trials in both state and federal courts.  He has represented clients on civil and criminal appeals before the South Carolina Court of Appeals, South Carolina Supreme Court and the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals.

BAR ADMISSIONS:
South Carolina, 2006
United States District Court for the State of South Carolina, 2006
United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, 2014

EDUCATION:
University of South Carolina School of Law, Columbia, South Carolina, J.D.
University of South Carolina, B.A.

PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATIONS AND MEMBERSHIPS:
South Carolina Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, member 
South Carolina Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, Past President & former Board of Directors member
Florence County and South Carolina Bar Member
Founder & Chair of South Carolina Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers Annual Criminal Defense 101 seminar

South Carolina Association of Justice, member

Justice 360, Board of Directors member

DUI Defense Lawyers Association, member

CLASSES/SEMINARS
Presented at legal CLEs, seminars and trial advocacy clinics in South Carolina, Ohio, Arizona. Participated in annual domestic violence training for magistrate/municipal judges. Lectured in academia on legal topics.

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