June 2018: Lowcountry Attorneys
Author: Special to CH2
Bannon Law Group is Bluffton. Attorneys Jim and Meredith Bannon have called Bluffton home for over 10 years.
Jim, like many Hilton Head area transplants, is from Pennsylvania. He grew up in State College and attended Penn State University, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in theatre. He met Meredith, a child of a career Army officer, in their second year of law school at the University of Miami. Meredith found her way to Miami after graduating cum laude from Tulane University in New Orleans with a Bachelor of Science in management and sociology. Needless to say, their backgrounds are quite different, but each complements the other.
The Bannons set out to find fortune, fame and trial experience in Northwest Arizona, as prosecutors. Jim focused on major drug crimes while Meredith focused on sex crimes against children. Upon landing in the Lowcountry, Jim and Meredith would help the Fourteenth Circuit Solicitor’s Office found the Career Criminal Team, with Meredith handling the prosecution of every murder in Beaufort County in 2012.
The siren call of private practice sang, and Jim has enjoyed a thriving criminal defense and general litigation practice for the past ten years. Jim can provide advice based on his years of experience in all criminal matters ranging from DUIs to federal drug charges.
Meredith entered private practice in 2013 and focuses on real estate closings and real estate litigation. She enjoys welcoming new neighbors into the community and talking about what good fortune one has to live in such an amazing place. Meredith further helps her clients by advising homeowners associations on risk liability and collections work.
Both Jim and Meredith like to stay active in the community. Jim served on the board of directors for The Literacy center for the past six years and Meredith is a board member of Hopeful Horizons, our local child advocacy center. They have an active kindergartner who pushes them to give back to the community and reinvest in all those they encounter. Their story is similar to that of a lot of Blufftonians: They didn’t realize they found home until they found Bluffton.
10 Westbury Pkwy. Unit A
Bluffton, SC 29910
(843) 815-4505
bannonlawgroup.com
Online Profiles and Articles
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- His and Hers: Bannon Law Group’s two-sided approach brings accessibility to the legal world
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- Hilton Head Man Says Beaufort County Deputies Use Excessive Force
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- Smooth Moves
James Bannon, Esq.
Jim Bannon graduated from the University of Miami School of Law in 2006 and immediately began giving back to the community as a full-time prosecutor. Initially licensed in Arizona in 2006, Jim continued to serve the public as an Assistant Solicitor in the 14th Judicial Circuit which covers Allendale, Beaufort, Colleton, Hampton, and Jasper Counties. In that time, Jim has tried over twenty jury trials to verdict. While working as a prosecutor, Jim was imbedded with the Drug Team Task Force for the Mohave County Attorney’s Office and helped to found the Career Criminal Team for the 14th Circuit Solicitor’s Office. After years of public service as a lawyer in the prosecutor’s office, Jim shifted his focus to the private practice of law in the Bluffton, Beaufort, Ridgeland, Hardeeville, and Hilton Head Island areas as a criminal defense lawyer and trial attorney in 2013. Jim also practices as a criminal defense lawyer in the Federal District Court of South Carolina. Since entering private practice, Jim has handled high-profile state and federal criminal matters including DUIs, drug trafficking, criminal sexual conduct with a minor, malicious injury to personal property, and murder.
Jim enjoys cooking and spending time with Meredith and their daughter, Emma Grace. Jim is an avid college football fan most notably for his beloved Penn State Nittany Lions.
Education
- The Pennsylvania State University B.A. 2002
- The University of Miami School of Law J.D. 2006
Bar Membership
- Georgia Bar, 2021
- U.S. Supreme Court, 2019
- Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals, 2012
- District of South Carolina, 2012
- District of Columbia, 2009
- South Carolina Bar, 2008
Online Profiles and Articles
- Men Behind the Business: Jim Bannon
- Cooks and Books Celebrates 10 Years of Literacy in the Lowcountry
- 2019 Special Section: Dadpreneurs
Meredith Bannon
Meredith Bannon entered private practice in 2013 after spending 7 years working as a prosecutor in Arizona and at the 14th Judicial Circuit Solicitors office in Bluffton, SC. Meredith grew up in a military family which allowed her to live all over the world. She obtained a Bachelor of Science cum laude in Business Management and Sociology from Tulane University. After graduation, she attended the University of Miami School of Law where she met her husband, Jim, who is also her law partner. Meredith is admitted to practice in Washington DC, Georgia, South Carolina, and U.S. District Court-South Carolina. She is an active member of the Hilton Head Bar Association, The Beaufort Bar Association, and the MS Society. Meredith serves as a new lawyer mentor with the South Carolina Bar Association and has presented continuing legal education seminars to the Hilton Head Bar Association. Meredith is a Board Member for Hopeful Horizons of the Lowcountry, LLC.
Education
- Tulane University, BS, 2003
- Kappa Alpha Theta alumna
- Graduated cum laude
- The University of Miami School of Law J.D. 2006
Bar Membership
- Georgia Bar, 2021
- U.S. Supreme Court, 2019
- District of South Carolina, 2013
- District of Columbia, 2009
- South Carolina Bar, 2008