Associate Attorney
- Phone: (803) 684-4888
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- Paralegal: Amber Lingerfelt
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Stephen D. Ward is a licensed attorney in South Carolina. He graduated from Mississippi State University with a B.F.A. with an emphasis in Sculpture in 2009. He then graduated from the University of South Carolina School of Law in 2019. While in law school, he was an active member of the Federalist Society and served as the President of the student chapter during his final year there. He also successfully argued for clients in the courtroom while working as a student attorney as part of the law school’s Juvenile Justice Clinic.
Between his time at Mississippi State University and the University of South Carolina, Stephen worked a number of years at a national law firm as part of a mass tort litigation defense team, working up from support technician to paralegal by the time he left the firm in 2016 to start law school. During law school, he continued his litigation experience as a law clerk working on a wide range of civil litigation matters. After law school, Stephen worked as an administrative hearing officer for the South Carolina Department of Employment and Workforce from 2020 to 2022, where he conducted unemployment benefits appeals hearings. In 2022, he began work as an independent landman for energy companies assisting with real estate title abstracts for both surface and mineral rights, lease negotiations for carbon capture projects, and lease asset integration. He is an active member of the American Association of Professional Landmen. Stephen joined Bradford Espinoza, P.A. in January of 2024 and his cases primarily revolve around civil litigation issues arising out of real estate and probate estate matters.
Stephen’s passion for his clients’ issues drives him to explore all options available to achieve positive results for them, whether it be civil litigation, estate planning, or estate administration. When he is not in the office, Stephen enjoys spending time with his spouse, and their two Yorkies, as well as training for and participating in Highland Games athletic events.