Russell Warren Mace III

Federal Criminal Defense Attorney Russell Warren Mace III has been practicing criminal defense since 1997. Mr. Mace was an Assistant Public Defender in Miami, Florida until 2001. As a Public Defender in Miami, trial experience was a daily event.  Mr. Mace represented clients ranging from juvenile cases to murder.  Mr. Mace has been practicing Criminal Defense in Miami for over 10 years prior to opening the latest office in South Carolina.  Miami is one of the largest legal communities in the United States and Mr. Mace was selected as one of the best criminal defense lawyers in the State in 2007.  Mr. Mace has argued before appellate courts and has selected over 100 juries.  Mr. Mace was selected to attend the National Criminal Defense College in 2005 in Macon, Georgia.  Very few attorneys are selected for this college.  This is a two week intense criminal defense college.  Nothing but criminal defense trial techniques are used during this program.   Mr. Mace enjoys defending federal indictments in Charleston as it is one of the most beautiful cities in the country.  The federal system in South Carolina is different than in many other states and it takes time to become familiar with the differences. 

After having successfully represented several hundred clients as a Public Defender, Mr. Mace was hired by a civil law firm in Boca Raton, Florida, where he began fighting large insurance companies. Tackling the civil arena was exciting, but Mr. Mace had a strong desire to return to criminal defense. Mr. Mace opened his own firm in Miami Beach in 2002. In the beginning of 2006, the second office was opened in Mr. Mace's home town of Valdosta, Georgia.  Now, in 2008 the newest office is now open in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.  Mr. Mace is handling all criminal matters throughout South Carolina, and has been appointed to the Federal Criminal Justice Administration panel for Charleston, Florence and Columbia, South Carolina.  The panel is dedicated to defending individuals indicted in Federal Courts throughout South Carolina.  Mr. Mace had previously been a member of the panel for the Southern District of Florida.  This panel covered federal cases in Miami, Ft. Lauderdale, Palm Beach, and Key West.  Mr. Mace represents clients throughout the counrty with a focus on federal criminal defense in Miami, Charleston, Myrtle Beach.

Nicole Elizabeth Nicolette

Appellate Attorney Nicole Elizabeth Nicolette started working with the firm in June of 2004 while she was finishing her second year of law school.  Ms. Nicolette has passed the bar exam in South Carolina, Florida and Georgia.  She is a member of several state bar associations and the Federal Courts for South Carolina and Florida.  She is one of the only lawyers in South Carolina to be a member of 3 separate State Bar Associations.  She has written habeas petitions to state and federal appellate courts on criminal matters.  She has filed direct appeals in Florida State Courts and the 4th Circuit which covers South Carolina, North Carolina, Maryland, Virginia and West Virginia.  She has won several appeals on new issues and given clients the ability to file ineffective assistance of counsel motions that the courts will actually review.

Ms. Nicolette is an extremely talented legal writer, who in just a short period of time has completed several briefs to the State and Federal Appellate Courts.  Ms. Nicolette has filed several appellate briefs to the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals in Atlanta, Georgia and to the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals in Richmond, Virgina.  A great deal of her time is spent working with clients on their appeals and on preserving appellate issues at the trial level.  She has written dozens of federal appeals and state appeals.  Winning a case on appeal is very difficult and takes a tremendous amount of time dedicated to researching the law and reviewing the case at the trial level.