South Carolina

Dane Phillips: Welcome y’all to the Direct Examination Podcast! I’m Dane Phillips.

Joseph Bias: And I’m Joseph Bias! We are prepared to go forward with it. We’re live… and we are not cats!

Dane Phillips: (laughs) “I’m here live, Your Honor, I’m not a cat!” The panic in that lawyer’s eyes!

Joseph Bias: The panic in his eyes and the panic in the cat’s filter eyes! That Zoom filter video might be the funniest thing to happen to the legal profession all year.

Dane Phillips: (laughs) If you haven’t seen the video of the Texas attorney getting stuck in a kitten filter during a live court hearing, go look it up immediately.

Joseph Bias: Now, Dane, before we introduce today’s guest, I have a personal emergency to report. My wife’s family dog mated with our dog, and two days ago, my dog gave birth to 11 puppies on my kitchen floor!

Dane Phillips: 11 puppies?!

Joseph Bias: 11! I am 1/10th of the way to a Disney movie! I am living in 101 Dalmatians! So if anyone listening needs a pit bull puppy, please tweet at me @JosephPBias because I need them out of my house! (laughs)

Dane Phillips: Every download comes with a free puppy! (laughs) Now, turning to our guest today, we have an extraordinary story to share. Our guest is Bianca Williams, founder of AFFC Law, LLC in Greenville, South Carolina! Bianca earned her accounting degree from UofSC and her J.D., Magna Cum Laude, from North Carolina Central University School of Law. She practices estate planning, probate administration, elder law, and bankruptcy. She is also the founder of Premature Millionaires, a non-profit dedicated to foster youth. Welcome to the show, Bianca!

Bianca Williams: Thank you so much! I’m so happy to be here.

Joseph Bias: Bianca, your journey to becoming a trial attorney and firm owner is unique. You spent five years in the foster care system as a child. Can you share your story with our listeners?

Bianca Williams: Absolutely. I grew up in Miami, Florida, the child of a 16-year-old mother. Due to physical and sexual abuse in my household, I entered the foster care system in Connecticut at age 10. From ages 10 to 15, I was in and out of foster homes and juvenile court for getting into fights at school—acting out was my way of dealing with severe trauma.

When I was 15, a family court judge looked at me and said, “You keep telling me you want to be a lawyer, but how do you plan on being a lawyer if you’re constantly in my courtroom as a defendant?” That was a massive lightbulb moment for me.

Dane Phillips: How did you transition from aging out of the system to entering the legal field?

Bianca Williams: I was adopted at 15 by my foster mom, but at 18, I moved to Columbia, South Carolina, to reconnect with my biological family. I enrolled at Midlands Technical College in their Paralegal Studies program to see if I truly enjoyed the law. While there, I got a job as an estate clerk for Richland County Probate Judge Amy McCulloch. Working in probate court made me fall in love with estate law. From there, I earned my accounting degree at UofSC and went to law school at North Carolina Central, graduating Magna Cum Laude in 2015.

Joseph Bias: You also established a 501(c)(3) non-profit called Premature Millionaires. Where did that name come from, and what is its mission?

Bianca Williams: The name actually comes from a Drake lyric in the song “Congratulations”—“Premature millionaire, we’re living out our youngest year.” Children in foster care hate the stigma attached to the label “foster child.” I chose the name Premature Millionaires to affirm these youth and instill a mindset that they are valuable, capable, and destined for success. We provide mentorship, check-ins, life skills, and guidance to help youth transitioning out of foster care.

Dane Phillips: What advice do you have for young lawyers or law students who are thinking about opening their own solo practice?

Bianca Williams: Focus heavily on your infrastructure before your first client walks through the door. When I opened my firm, I thought clients would immediately line up. They didn’t on day one! But having that initial downtime allowed me to set up practice management systems, document storage, and phone systems. Also, a free tip for law students: while you’re in school, save all your research templates, form books, and CLE materials. When you’re a solo practitioner, having a pre-built library saves you thousands of dollars.

Joseph Bias: Bianca, we end every episode with a war story. What is your favorite trial story from practice?

Bianca Williams: Early in my practice, I handled a contested guardianship and conservatorship hearing. I spent weeks preparing, barely slept the night before, and walked into court dressed like Olivia Pope from Scandal in a white coat and matching hat. I was so confident that I even brought my law intern with me to watch me “win”!

Well, the hearing dragged on for hours, got extremely heated, and went completely sideways. By the end of the day, my Olivia Pope outfit was ruined, my hair was sweated out, and I walked out of the courthouse in tears right in front of my intern! It was a massive lesson in courtroom humility—never assume a hearing is an easy victory!

Joseph Bias: (laughs) Bringing the intern to watch you win only for it to go sideways is an absolute classic! Bianca, thank you so much for joining us, for sharing your story, and for your incredible work with foster youth.

Bianca Williams: Thank you both so much for having me!

Dane Phillips: Learn more about Bianca’s firm at affclawfirm.com and her non-profit at prematuremillionaires.org! Follow us on Twitter and Facebook @SCLawPod, Dane @SCCrimLawyer, and Joseph @JosephPBias. Leave us a five-star review, and we’ll see y’all next week on the Direct Examination Podcast!