Kaye Hearn joined Wyche, P.A., a Greenville-based law firm with three offices across South Carolina, as special counsel based in Conway.
Hearn retired as a South Carolina Supreme Court Justice in April 2023. She was the longest-serving member of the state court judiciary and was the second woman elected to state’s highest court.
Hearn was a member of the South Carolina Court of Appeals for 15 years, where she served as chief judge for 10 years. She also worked as Family Court judge and trial attorney with the firm of Stevens, Stevens, Thomas, Hearn, and Hearn.
Hearn served as a member of the South Carolina Board of Bar Examiners and law clerk to South Carolina Supreme Court Justice Julius B. Ness.
“Throughout my career in the South Carolina judiciary, I’ve witnessed Wyche’s unwavering dedication to the pursuit of legal excellence and its deep-rooted commitment to the communities it serves,” said Hearn. “I look forward to bringing my years of experience to the firm and working alongside its talented team to deliver the highest level of legal representation to clients statewide.”
She has received a variety of honors, including:
- A portrait by the South Carolina’s Trial Lawyers Association
- South Carolina Women Lawyers Association’s Jean Galloway Bissell Award
- An award celebrating Inspiring Women from Coastal Carolina University
- Woman of Achievement Award from the South Carolina Commission on Women
- Bethany College Alumni Achievement Award
- Alpha Xi Delta Woman of Distinction
- Outstanding Jurist Award from the American Board of Trial Advocates
Hearn is a graduate of Bethany College, the University of South Carolina School of Law and the University of Virginia’s Graduate Program for Judges. She also received an honorary doctor of laws from the Charleston School of Law and the University of South Carolina as well as an honorary doctor of humanities from Francis Marion University.
