Dayne Phillips began his professional career as an Assistant Appellate Defender in the Appellate Division of the South Carolina Commission on Indigent Defense (SCCID). He managed a large and diverse caseload that included convictions for murder, drug trafficking, burglary, and felony DUI. Notably, he has obtained numerous reversals on appeal for his clients and has successfully argued to create laws that protect the rights of South Carolina citizens. Dayne then joined the Eleventh Circuit Public Defender’s Office as an Assistant Public Defender, where he defended all types of felony and misdemeanor offenses, including—but not limited to—murder, attempted murder, burglary, armed robbery, drug trafficking, criminal sexual conduct, domestic violence, and DUIs.
Dayne’s cases have been featured in The State Newspaper, SC Lawyers Weekly, and local TV news stations. He has lectured on topics such as constitutional rights, motions practice, and preserving issues for appellate review at CLE training seminars. In short, he is a highly trained and experienced criminal defense lawyer and appellate litigator who has dedicated his life to defending the accused and convicted.
Dayne is a graduate of the University of South Carolina School of Law, the National Criminal Defense College, and the National Forensic College. He has experience successfully defending the accused by receiving numerous not guilty verdicts in felony jury trials, as well as successfully arguing before the South Carolina Court of Appeals and the Supreme Court of South Carolina. In law school, Dayne worked as a law clerk for John Delgado—a prominent criminal defense and death penalty defense attorney. After assisting Delgado in several murder trials and high-profile cases, criminal defense quickly became his life’s calling. This incredible experience made him passionate about challenging the government and defending the underdog. In short, he learned the true meaning of zealous advocacy from his mentor and is forever grateful for Delgado teaching him to how “fight the good fight” in every case.
Dayne is a proud native of South Carolina. Born and raised in Lexington County, he graduated from Airport High School in 2003 and the University of South Carolina in 2007. He then earned his Juris Doctor degree from the University of South Carolina School of Law in 2010. The three pillars of Dayne’s life are his family, friends, and love for football. Dayne grew up in Pine Ridge where his family taught him work ethic and unconditional love. His amazing wife is a public school teacher and is a two-time Teacher of the Year for her school, and District Teacher of the Year. His spunky daughter keeps him on his toes and is the greatest thing to ever happened to him. He is also blessed with incredibly supportive parents and in-laws who are the cornerstone of his family.
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