Meet Our Legal Team in Fort Mill, Greenville, and all of South Carolina

Daniel Evans was born in Statesville, North Carolina and moved around with his family, from Michigan to Georgia, before finally settling in upstate South Carolina. Daniel attended Southern Wesleyan University and graduated with a degree in Accounting and Business Administration. After his undergraduate degree, Daniel went on to attend the University of South Carolina School of Law. During law school, Daniel interned with the Assistant United States Attorney’s Office in Greenville and the National Indian Country Team with the Assistant United States Attorney’s Office in Columbia. 

After graduating from law school, Daniel has worked with the South Carolina Department of Social Services and a general litigation law practice, primarily focusing on family law, criminal law, and estate planning.

Now, Daniel acts as one of the leading lawyers here at David W. Martin Law Group. He primarily works out of our Greenville office, focusing on cases in the Greenville, Spartanburg, and Anderson Counties. He is, however, licensed to practice throughout the whole state of South Carolina.

Benjamin Hasty is a criminal defense lawyer with a background as a former prosecutor. He brings his experience from both sides of the courtroom to aggressively fight for and defend your rights.

Ben was born in Little Rock, Arkansas.  From there, he moved to Greenville, South Carolina, in 1991.  Since moving, Ben attended Greenville County public schools and finished Eastside High School.  Upon graduation, Ben moved to Genoa, Italy, where he played semi-professional football and attended language school.  Following living in Italy, Ben enrolled at Clemson University and graduated with a double major in Political Science and Italian Language.  Continuing his studies, Ben attended the University of South Carolina, School of Law, earning his Juris Doctorate.

Ben is a member of the South Carolina Bar.  Ben previously worked in the Sixteenth Circuit Solicitor’s Office as an Assistant Solicitor, focusing his time on the prosecution of Drug-related charges and Driving Under the Influence offenses.  Ben led the DUI Unit in York County for over two years, during which he prosecuted hundreds of DUI cases and instituted many of the systems the DUI Court and Solicitor’s Office use today.  While in the Solicitor’s Office Drug Unit, Ben focused on prosecuting drug crimes ranging from Simple Possession of Marijuana to the trafficking of illicit drugs and pills.

In 2018, Ben left the Solicitor’s Office to work as a criminal defense attorney.  Ben applies the knowledge and experience he has earned to help clients and win results.

Nathan Cooper was born in McClean County, Illinois, and moved with his family when he was young from Illinois to Tennessee to Kentucky before his family settled in the Upstate in Greer, South Carolina, in 2005. Nathan attended the University of South Carolina (B.A., History). After his undergraduate degree, Nathan stayed home and obtained his legal education at the University of South Carolina School of Law, where he received specialized legal training to graduate with the distinction of Child Welfare Law Certification. Additionally, while at law school, Nathan was nominated by his peers to receive the Anthony Raymond Memorial Scholarship Award, awarded to the student who best exemplifies zealous advocacy for the rights of persons with disabilities. Nathan became Child Welfare Law certified through the University of South Carolina School of Law. 

After graduating from law school, Nathan began his practice as a child abuse and neglect attorney for the South Carolina Department of Social Services. During his five years with the Department of Social Services, Nathan became a seasoned litigator in the Family Court system of York County, Lancaster County, Fairfield County, and Chester County, South Carolina and became extensively familiar with the judicial system, judges, and administration of the Sixth and Sixteenth Judicial Circuits of the South Carolina Family Courts.

Now, Nathan acts as a valued member of the David W. Martin Law Group legal team. He is primarily based out of our Fort Mill office, focusing his practice on cases in York and Lancaster Counties. He is, however, licensed to practice through the entire state of South Carolina.

Andre Coaxum is a criminal defense attorney with a background as a former Judicial Law Clerk and former prosecutor, bringing experience from all angles of the courtroom.

Andre was born and raised in Charleston, South Carolina before attending the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill where he graduated with a B.A. in Psychology and a minor in African and African American Diaspora studies. At Chapel Hill, Andre was a member of the Phi Alpha Delta Pre-Law Fraternity, while also being involved with the Civic Engagement Committee of the Student Government and numerous minority mentoring programs. Continuing his education, Andre enrolled at the University of South Carolina School of Law, where he received his Juris Doctorate.

Andre is a member of the South Carolina Bar. He was previously a Judicial Law Clerk for the Honorable Daniel D. Hall, giving him insight into the judicial process and familiarity with the litigation process. After his clerkship, Andre worked for the Sixth Circuit Solicitor’s Office where he was an Assistant Solicitor focusing primarily on prosecuting Driving Under the Influence offenses across Fairfield, Chester, and Lancaster counties, and expanded his legal skills in criminal law.

Andre joined the David W. Martin Law Group to pursue a career as a criminal defense attorney, where he applies his knowledge and experience to get his clients the justice they deserve.

Vanessa A. Richardson was born in Georgetown, South Carolina, and grew up in New York City. She earned an AS degree in Marketing and a BS in Criminal Justice, summa cum laude, from John Jay College of Criminal Justice.  After completing brief careers in the fashion industry and advertising, Ms. Richardson followed her true passion and earned a law degree, graduating cum laude from Capital University Law School, Columbus, Ohio.

After graduation, Ms. Richardson worked as a Mitigating Specialist on death penalty cases for Horry County Public Defender’s Office, while simultaneously working on jail misconduct cases for a prestigious Georgetown law firm. After leaving the public defender’s office, Ms. Richardson practiced in civil litigation, handling personal injury cases (product liability litigation, medical malpractice cases, and other wrongful death cases).  This experience garnered her the ability to practice in various states across the US. Ms. Richardson has always put family first, which led her to start her own family law practice handling all domestic relation/family law cases (divorce, child custody, child support, etc.). She relocated to Greenville in 2019 and, in 2022, brought her many years of family law practice to the David W, Martin Law Group covering the Upstate and Low Country.

She seeks to promote her home community through her endeavors as a board member of the Waccamaw Economic Opportunity Council representing the Georgetown County community and Optimism Preventive Services, Inc organization that provides character building resources for children between the ages of 5-18 in Georgetown County. In addition to being a fierce advocate for her clients, her favorite pastime is her spending time with her daughter, Ally.

Saleana C. Pence is a valuable member of our team here at the David W. Martin Law Group. As Director of People, Processes, and Internal Operations, she handles a great deal of projects for our firm. She was the first employee of the David W. Martin Law Group and has had many roles in her past, including receptionist, paralegal, billing manager, office manager, and case manager for all family law matters.

Saleana has assisted in client relations, trial preparation, accounting for the firm, organizing and preparing documents, scheduling, intakes, and case management for hundreds of clients at a time. Saleana has a passion for family law and will be taking the LSAT in August of 2022. She plans to attend law school in the near future. 

Saleana attended York Technical College where she graduated as an honor student, president list recipient, and earned her associates degree in Administrative Office Technology with Paralegal Specialization. Saleana was the secretary for the Paralegal Association. Soon after graduating York Technical College, Saleana began working for McKinney, Tucker & Lemel as a paralegal, where she was first introduced to David W. Martin. Saleana attends Winthrop University where she will be graduating in December of 2022 with a B.A. in Political Science and a minor in Women and Genders Studies. She was a former member of the Alpha Delta Pi Sorority and a former Voting Ambassador. 

When she is out of the office, Saleana loves to spend time with her husband, Noah, and her son. She was born and raised in Fort Mill, S.C. She enjoys cooking, playing video games, and visiting new places in her free time.