Local Justice: General Litigation and Bench Realities with Attorney April Porter
In this episode of Local Justice, host Ben Leader sits down with Attorney April Porter, a highly versatile South Carolina litigator who has spent more than two decades representing clients across multiple levels of the state’s judicial system.
April shares her upbringing in Kershaw and Chester County, where working in her family’s country grocery store instilled a deep, lifelong commitment to work ethic and customer service. She describes her journey from the College of Charleston to law school in Mississippi, eventually returning home to launch her own practice in 2003. April details her intentional choice to remain a diverse general practitioner to better serve her local community—allowing her to seamlessly move between family, circuit, general sessions, probate, and federal courts.
Drawing from her service as a magistrate judge, April provides valuable insight into the “people’s court” and its role in handling small claims, traffic violations, and domestic matters efficiently. Centered on her guiding professional benchmark, Amos 5:24, she discusses her “blind faith” business model, which prioritizes service and equity over strict corporate quotas. She also details her role on the Judicial Selection Qualification Committee vetting South Carolina’s judiciary, shares the historic 1892 Roddy Patrick Fennell House renovation that serves as her new office, and opens up about the continuous balancing act of managing a busy litigation practice while raising a family.
Local Justice is a community-focused series by Elrod Pope Accident & Injury Attorneys, hosted by attorney Ben Leader, highlighting legal topics and the people making a difference in York County and surrounding areas.