Joyce Cheeks

Attorney Cheeks earned her undergraduate degree in mathematics from South Carolina State University. She received both her Juris Doctor (J.D.) and Masters in Business Administration (M.B.A.) from the University of South Carolina in 1985. In addition to practicing law, Attorney Cheeks has taught law-related courses in the graduate business program at Webster University and at Midlands Technical College in Columbia, S.C., as well as high school and junior high school math and science.

Attorney Cheeks began her legal career as General Counsel and Deputy Director of the South Carolina Children’s Foster Care Review Board. Two years later she accepted a staff attorney position at the South Carolina Court of Appeals, followed by a judicial clerkship with the Honorable Alexander M. Sanders, Jr., Chief Judge of the South Carolina Court of Appeals.

Over the course of her career, attorney Cheeks has served in numerous leadership capacities, including the Board of Directors of the South Carolina Chamber of Commerce; Board of Directors of South Carolina Communities in Schools; Board of Directors of the YMCA Black Achievers; and Interim Executive Director of the South Carolina American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) during a critical period of transition for the organization.

On any given day, you can find Attorney Cheeks in the office of her thriving law firm or in the court room advocating for a client. But on other days, you may find her in front of an audience sharing her strategies for preserving family legacies, coaching organizations’ leaders on conflict resolution, or simply doing a radio/television interview about the negative impact that fatherlessness has on families and our communities. Whatever Attorney Cheeks is doing, you can be sure she is helping to elevate her clients and her community.