Surfside Beach, SC

Shelly M. Leeke

Shelly M. Leeke is the founder of Shelly Leeke Law Firm and has successfully represented people injured in accidents for over a decade. The firm handles accident cases throughout South Carolina, particularly in the low country counties of the state. Shelly has written numerous articles aimed at helping accident victims understand the legal process. She is an avid promoter of accident victims’ rights under the law and fights insurance companies in the pursuit of protecting these rights and recently published The South Carolina Accident Book, to help South Carolina residents and accident victims to understand personal injury law and the insurance claims process, both before and after an accident. She is a member of both the South Carolina Bar and the Louisiana State Bar. She is an active member of the South Carolina Bar Association, serving on the Disaster Relief board and the Young Lawyer Division committee. She is a member of the South Carolina Association For Justice, the American Association For Justice, the American Bar Association, Rotary International, and the Mount Pleasant Rotary. A native of South Carolina, Ms. Leeke received her Bachelor of Science degree from Wofford College in Spartanburg. She earned her Juris Doctorate degree from Tulane Law School in New Orleans, Louisiana, where she graduated cum laude. She is the recipient of a CALI Excellence for the Future Award, and also earned an Achievement Award from McGill University in Montreal, Quebec, CA for her studies in human rights law. She served as a judicial law clerk in the Louisiana Supreme Court. Ms. Leeke is big sister with the Big Brothers Big Sisters of South Carolina, and when she is not working, she can be found playing tennis, biking, jogging, reading, writing, or spending time with her family.

Mark D. Neill

Raised in Pittsburgh, PA, Mark moved to Hilton Head Island, South Carolina during his junior year of high school. He went on to attend the Moore School of Business at the University of South Carolina, where he graduated Magna Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Finance. In 1997, he graduated from the University of South Carolina School of Law. After graduation from law school, he took his first job as an attorney in Surfside Beach, South Carolina. Since that time, Mark has spent his career practicing law in the Myrtle Beach area, a span of over 19 years. Mark has practiced in a variety of legal fields, including Civil Litigation, Insurance Defense, Construction Litigation, Personal Injury, Real Estate, Business Law, Estate Planning and Bankruptcy. His knowledge and experience in a variety of areas of law has proven to be a great asset in understanding many of the complex legal matters he handles on behalf of his clients. Mark is an active member of the community. He is involved with numerous religious, civic and business organizations, including Belin United Methodist Church, Rotary International, Business Networking International and the Coastal Carolina Association of Realtors. When Mark is not working, he spends most of his time with his wife and three children. Always seeking the thrill of competition, he is an avid runner and biker, who regularly participates in marathons and triathlons.

Ella Barbery

Ella Sims Barbery graduated from Presbyterian College with an undergrad degree in Biology. She graduated with her Juris Doctorate from University of Tennessee College of Law and received her LLM in Health Law from University of Houston. Mrs. Barbery has experience in Medical Malpractice, professional negligence defense, probate litigation, personal injury, premises liability, estate planning as well as general civil litigation. Mrs. Barbery is a member of the South Carolina Bar and Greenville County Bar Association. Mrs. Barbery serves as a youth minister at her church, volunteers at her daughter’s school and is the Team Manager for her daughters travel soccer teams. Her husband, three daughters, two dogs and herself love to cheer on the Clemson Tigers! In her spare time, she enjoys reading mystery and true crime stories, camping, traveling, and spending time with family and friends.

Richard Vriesinga

Richard Vriesinga is an experienced litigator who has dedicated his career to representing plaintiffs in injury and death cases across South Carolina. He has successfully represented clients in state and federal courts and has secured millions of dollars in recovery. He is a member of several organizations, including the Million Dollar Advocates Forum and the South Carolina Association for Justice. In his career, Richard has advocated for hundreds of clients injured through the negligence of others, including cases involving serious trucking or auto accidents, wrongful death, premises liability, insurance bad faith, nursing home abuse, and dram shop liability. He currently maintains a robust personal injury practice, effectively counseling clients on the complex issues involved in insurance claims and litigation while also working with insurance companies and their attorneys to reach favorable outcomes for his clients. Richard has a successful track record for favorable case resolution given the experience, knowledge, and proficiency he brings to the handling of each case. Born in England and having spent much of his youth moving around the U.S., Richard is proud to call Charleston home. He lives in Daniel Island with his wife, Lauren, who also practices law, and his sons, where they enjoy all that the Lowcountry has to offer.

Ashley Bilby

Ashley attended the University of Tampa in Tampa, FL for her undergraduate studies where she graduated in 2006 with a degree in Government and World Affairs and minors in both Political Science and Law & Justice. While attending University of Tampa she served two terms as President of Delta Gamma sorority and was inducted into Pi Sigma Alpha honor society. Ashley then attended Albany Law School in Albany, New York and obtained her law degree in 2010. While attending Albany Law she worked as a clerk for a firm focusing on land use and development projects, as well as provided supervised pro bono services for the Saratoga County Public Defender’s Office. Prior to seeking admission to the South Carolina Bar, Ashley worked for several years in New York in management roles in the fields of risk management and hospitality. She provided oversight and hands-on assistance with the launch of multiple small businesses in Upstate New York prior to returning to the traditional legal setting and subsequently relocating to the Lowcountry. Since gaining admission to the South Carolina Bar, Ashley has gained experience practicing law in the areas of personal injury, motor vehicle liability and insurance defense. Most recently, Ashley worked as defense counsel for some of the largest insurance carriers in the country and she is now using that experience and insight to provide zealous advocacy for her clients at Shelly Leeke Law Firm.

Jaela Brown

Jaela Brown is a dedicated personal injury attorney at Shelly Leeke Law Firm, focusing on auto accident cases. She earned her B.S. in Psychology from Oglethorpe University in 2018 and her Juris Doctor from Charleston School of Law in 2022. Jaela serves clients across Columbia and North Charleston, South Carolina, and has been a valued member of the firm for two years. She is admitted to practice in South Carolina and has been involved in several professional organizations, including the Black Law Students Association, Latino/a Law Students Association, and The Immigration Law Association. Outside of work, Jaela enjoys reading and spending quality time with her family.

Caroline Meng

Caroline Meng has been fighting for injured plaintiffs in South Carolina since 2005. Caroline attended the University of Mississippi (Ole Miss) for her undergraduate studies where she majored in Political Science and graduated summa cum laude. She attended the University of Mississippi School of Law and graduated in 2004 with a J.D. degree. Following law school she clerked for the Mississippi Supreme Court for one year before moving to South Carolina to work in Beaufort, South Carolina as a personal injury attorney focusing primarily on auto accident cases and social security disability cases. She has worked in Beaufort, South Carolina for over 15 years representing injured victims in the Lowcountry and surrounding areas. She is licensed to practice in all South Carolina State Courts and in the United States District Court for the District of South Carolina. She is also licensed in Mississippi and Tennessee.