Fairfield County Courthouse, April 1940
Our Attorneys & Adminstrative Staff
JOHN E. (JACK) JAMES, III, ATTORNEY AT LAW
Jack James was born on September 27, 1954 in Bryan, Texas and is the son of the late George C. James and Ren F. James. Jack grew up in Sumter, South Carolina and graduated from Wilson Hall School in 1972 and The Citadel in 1976 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Political Science.
After graduating from The Citadel, Jack began working in the banking business in the Rock Hill, Easley and Winnsboro offices of Southern Bank & Trust and First Union National Bank. Eventually, Jack returned to school earning his Juris Doctor degree from the University of South Carolina School of Law in 1993. Jack then joined his father and brother, George C. (Buck) James, Jr., in the law firm of Richardson, James & Player in Sumter, South Carolina.
In 2000, the firm Richardson, James & Player merged with another Sumter firm, Lee, Erter, Wilson Holler & Smith, and became Lee, Erter, Wilson, James, Holler & Smith, LLC. Jack was a partner with this firm until 2008, when the opportunity arose for Jack to return to Winnsboro where he took over the law firm of W. Thomas Sprott, Jr. when he was elected as a Family Court Judge.
Jack is a title insurance agent with Stewart Title Guaranty Company of South Carolina and WFG National Title Insurance Company, a member of the South Carolina Bar and the Fairfield County Bar. He has been admitted to practice in all South Carolina courts, the United States District Court for the District of South Carolina and the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals. Jack also serves as the county attorney for Fairfield County.
Jack is a member of Trinity United Methodist Church where he has served as chairman of the Staff-Parish Committee and Board of Trustees. He is a past-president of the Fairfield County Chamber of Commerce and he currently serves on the Board of Trustees of Wilson Hall School.
Jack is married to Laurie Stephenson, daughter of Joe and Alita Stephenson of Winnsboro, and they have two children, Evans and Stephanie. Their son, Evans, is a 2010 graduate of The Citadel and their daughter, Stephanie, graduated from Clemson University in 2013.
HELEN R. EDWARDS, ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT
Helen Edwards is a native of Winnsboro, South Carolina, and began working at the office of W. Thomas Sprott, Jr. in 2004. Prior to her employment with now Judge Sprott, Helen was Director of Medical Records at Fairfield Memorial Hospital was employed there for 17 years prior to joining Mr. Sprott's firm.
Helen is a member of the First Church of the Nazarene in Winnsboro and currently serves Children's Department Director.
Helen currently resides in Blythewood, South Carolina, with her husband, Doug, and they have two sons, Brad and Brandon, and a granddaughter, Olivia.