About Andrew Andy
Andrew Andy Potter earned a J.D. from Capital University Law School in 1993 after completing a B.A. in History and English at Bowling Green State University in 1990. He moved into practice quickly, combining courtroom work with early clerkships that exposed him to both trial preparation and client advocacy.
His legal career began in Ohio. While still in law school he spent time as a law clerk in the Hamilton County Public Defender’s Office in Cincinnati and later clerked and practiced at the Law Offices of Arnold Levin. In 1993 he opened a private practice in Cincinnati under his own name and served as trial counsel in the Hamilton County Public Defender’s Office in 1994. That mix of public defense and private work shaped the next phases of his career.
Potter relocated to South Carolina in the late 1990s and alternated between public defender offices and private firms. He was with Chapman, Byrholdt & Yon in Anderson in 1997 and later worked at Foster & Foster in Greenville. He returned to public defense work in Anderson County in 2001 and served as a senior trial lawyer in the 10th Judicial Circuit Public Defenders’ Office beginning in 2008. Alongside those roles he has operated private practices under variations of his name and firm over the years.
He is admitted to practice in Ohio and South Carolina and holds admissions in the Fourth and Sixth U.S. Circuit Courts of Appeal and the U.S. Supreme Court. His professional credentials include certification to serve as lead counsel in capital cases under South Carolina Rule 421. He has also completed coursework through the Institute for Special Education Advocacy at the College of William and Mary.
Potter’s memberships reflect long-standing ties to defense and advocacy organizations. He has been a member of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers since the early 1990s and joined the National Association of Public Defenders in 2014. He serves on the board of Justice 360, has a membership with the Council of Parent Lawyers and Advocates, and holds a board position with the South Carolina Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers.
Throughout his practice he has handled trial work, public defense matters and capital litigation, and he has taken on cases that require appellate briefing and federal court appearances. He maintains an active private practice as managing partner of Potter Law LLC and handles both courtroom litigation and advocacy on behalf of clients. His current practice concentrates on criminal defense, including capital litigation, and on special education advocacy.
