Aiming High in Lowcountry

In the 14 years since getting her J.D., Kelley Young has done a lot—from being a magistrate judge to having her name on the shingle of a firm. But the Hilton Head native didn’t always know she’d pursue law. She graduated from the University of Georgia’s Terry College of Business and wasn’t sold on the idea of being a litigator until a summer internship at the prosecutor’s office.

“That’s when I fell in love with criminal law and realized the ability to help people and make a difference in the community I grew up in,” she says. 

The 2009 summer clerkship was in the criminal division of the U.S. attorney’s office—a sought-after position that placed the University of Miami School of Law student front and center in the courtroom.

“I drafted a response motion for the deputy U.S. attorney, and he took me to the hearing and basically read my argument verbatim,” Young recalls of that first time in court. “That gave me confidence in the criminal arena.”

The next summer, Young served as a certified legal intern for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in Miami. Not only did she research and write arguments, but also argued some in court, another formative experience. 

“It was obviously nerve-racking my first time in court. I remember not sleeping well and going over my arguments and facts until I fell asleep the night before. But once I got started, under the supervision of another attorney, it was impactful to see,” she says. 

“The victim was present, and I was the voice for that person. I saw the difference that it made in that person’s life. It was the first time I realized that my words could be used to help someone else. You can watch TV all you want on someone litigating, but until you’re in that moment, you realize things don’t always play out the way you think they will. And you have to be able to work on the fly.” 

After graduation, Young moved back to South Carolina, where she practiced as an assistant solicitor in Charleston for about four years. She focused primarily on litigating major narcotics, violent crimes and murder cases, managing a large docket of up to 400 cases at a time. 

“Being a solicitor, you’re in a unique position of power,” she says. “And using that to promote justice, in my opinion, does not mean prosecuting to the fullest extent. It means finding what justice means in each case. Being able to effectively manage each of these cases with that unique perspective was definitely a challenge, but it was such a wonderful opportunity.” 

It was the first time I realized that my words could be used to help someone else.

In 2015, Gov. Nikki Haley appointed Young as a magistrate judge for Charleston County—one of the youngest magistrates appointed. She gained invaluable experience by presiding over bond hearings, preliminary hearings, traffic court and eviction hearings. 

“I was quite young—28 or 29—but I knew it was another opportunity for me to be in a position where I could give back to my community,” Young says. “I didn’t think about it as age. I felt like I had the building blocks and the background to be completely comfortable.”

Young decided in 2017 to join her husband, Adam, in private practice—Young & Young Attorneys at Law. 

“I felt like it was time for me to pivot and go into private practice so I could achieve the life balance of helping my community but also growing our family,” she says. 

When she’s not working for her clients, Young prosecutes cases for Folly Beach and is a part-time municipal judge for Mount Pleasant. With the heavy workload, Young says the most challenging part is compartmentalizing.

“You’re dealing with bad facts on a daily basis. It’s just going back to being disciplined on time management and not taking it home with you if you can avoid it,” says Young, adding that being a mom to three young kids has helped her with that discipline. “It’s taught me to be patient and flexible.”