Catherine Hood Kennedy
Catherine Hood Kennedy was recently sworn in as the president of the Senior Lawyers Division of the South Carolina Bar. The officers of the Bar were inducted at a convocation of the Assembly of the South Carolina Bar held on May 14. As an officer, Kennedy will serve on the Board of Governors of the Bar and in its House of Delegates. She is an attorney in the Columbia office of Turner Padget and a former Richland County Probate Judge.
The Senior Lawyers Division is comprised of Bar members who are at least 60 years of age. The purpose of the division is to stimulate the interest of seasoned members in the activities of the Bar, to conduct programs of interest and value to its members, and to conduct forums for discussion among its members.
The Senior Lawyers Division encourages senior lawyers to become involved in pro bono and mentoring activities and provides educational, networking, and travel opportunities for its members. It sponsors the “Nifty Fifty” program to honor those attorneys, who have been members of the Bar for 50 years, and the Law Day Essay contest to recognize high school students for exemplary essays on a law-related topic. The division is also addressing issues related to suitable accommodations for the hearing impaired within the court system.
Kennedy has been very active in Bar matters throughout her career. She was a member of the House of Delegates for over 20 years and previously served on the Board of Governors of the Bar. She assisted in drafting a pilot mediation program for probate matters and a rule for permanent mediation in the Probate Courts. She also chaired the Bench/Bar committee that recommended changes to the South Carolina Probate Code made in 2014 and the changes to the Power of Attorney Act made in 2017. She is a past chair of the Probate, Estate Planning Trust Law Section of the Bar and was the first recipient of the Wilkins Award from the Section for meritorious service to the Probate Bar.
Kennedy is a former certified specialist in Estate Planning and Probate Law, practicing with the firm of Turner Padget Graham & Laney, PA., in its Columbia office. From 1987 to 1999, she served as the Richland County Probate Judge.
Kennedy is a fellow of the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel, is listed in Best Lawyers in America for Trust and Estates, and has been named a South Carolina Super Lawyer in Estate and Trust Litigation. She was recognized for excellence by her alma mater, the University of South Carolina Rice School of Law, in receiving the 2021 Platinum Compleat Lawyer Award.
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