When charged with a crime, most people know they need legal representation as soon as possible. However, for misdemeanor charges, some people make the mistake of believing that they can handle it themselves. This is a big mistake. Carla M. Schüßler is Chief Operating Officer in the Complete Legal Defense team. Prior to joining the team, Carla spent six years as Executive Director of Habitat for Humanity Horry County, where she led Habitat from building one house per year to building nine homes per year. Prior to that, she worked in the legal industry – first in the Chicago office of the law firm Jenner & Block as a project assistant, and then as a paralegal for Greg McCollum when Greg`s law firm was just a two-person company. Deni Gibbs has over 28 years of criminal law experience before joining the full legal defense team. She began her career in the Horry County Attorney`s Office as a legal assistant, then began working as a paralegal for the Horry County Public Defender in 1989.
A full defense is a kind of affirmative defense that voids an entire claim against the defendant. Comprehensive defenses are relevant in civil and criminal proceedings. Missy McDaniel began her career as a real estate paralegal. While appreciating the work she was doing in the real estate field, she eventually realized that she was much more interested in the criminal justice system. A few years later, she moved from real estate to a career in the criminal justice system by accepting a position in the J. Reuben Long Detention Center Duty Court. From Bond Court, Missy then moved to Judge Blanton`s office, where she was able to learn more about the other side of the detention system by working with warrants and the justice system. She also began working with a local criminal defense lawyer and diversified into some elements of her office`s family court. Missy enjoyed seeing and attending several stages of the criminal trial here in Horry County.
Missy is the newest paralegal on the Complete Legal Defense team. Sarah moved to Myrtle Beach in 1994, where she briefly worked with local lawyers while attending college in the evenings. In 1995, Sarah began working in Greg McCollum`s office as a legal assistant. She received a bachelor`s degree in interdisciplinary studies from Coastal Carolina University in 2003. She is now a board member of Master Chorale and a member of Chicora Rotary. Sarah is a member of St. Andrews Catholic Church and is active in our community with several charities. She and Greg are married and have three children.
Unlike a mitigation defense, which reduces but does not eliminate liability, the successful construction of a complete defense releases some of the responsibility for a particular act. Because claims are often intertwined, establishing a full defense for one claim often acts as a complete defense against other claims. Examples of comprehensive defenses include consent, force majeure, and involuntary intoxication. Moreover, in jurisdictions that follow contributory negligence, the finding that the plaintiff acted negligently is a complete defense. During the nine years she was employed by the Public Defender, she supported lawyers in criminal cases ranging from misdemeanours, crimes and death sentences. In 1998, she was hired as the Director of Victim Services for the Horry County Sheriff`s Office at the J. Reuben Long Detention Center, where she spent the last 18 years of her career. During her first year there, she facilitated the organization of the Office of Victim Services and implemented the new laws prescribed by the Victims Bill of Rights in South Carolina. She has served on various legal committees and has been certified by the South Carolina Governor`s Office to teach accredited courses to law enforcement agencies on specific criminal justice laws. Your future is at stake. We can help! (843) 321-4968 Click on the button below to consult one of our team members.
Carla holds a Bachelor of Science in Political Science with a minor in Law from Illinois State University. She also has extensive experience in property and community management, as well as construction and project management. Michael Barry is a litigator on the complete legal defense team. He has previous professional experience as a lawyer in the areas of insurance coverage, construction defect litigation, HOA litigation, landlord-tenant litigation, zoning, contractual disputes, and corporate/commercial litigation. He also has experience as a contract lawyer handling securities fraud cases and as a legal trainee in civil litigation management.
