As we approach the end of this academic year, the Mike Kelly Law Group would like to salute the graduates of all Midlands area schools, from kindergarten through college. Graduation is a milestone event which provides students with a sense of pride in their hard-earned accomplishments. The graduation ceremony is a celebration of the graduates’ preparedness to use their newfound diplomas and embark on future learning endeavors, whether that be through additional schooling or a career path. I have a fond memory of each one of my graduations even though they occurred a long time ago!

Graduation is for students both young and old! I recently represented a sixty-year-old female who withdrew from school in the eighth grade to start working. After forty years, she decided to earn her high school diploma online, which required diligent work and was no easy task. Now that is impressive! The Mike Kelly Law Group is proud of all our graduates and wish them all great success in their future and Godspeed.

Why do people say there is nothing to do in Columbia? I have commented on this before and having lived in this town since I was eighteen years old, I am always stunned and amazed by the number of fun, social activities Columbia offers every single day and night!

For example, last night, the Colonial Life Arena hosted this weekend’s first Disney on Ice performance, The South Carolina State Museum held Sweet & Savory (a local chefs’ competition), and the Township Auditorium hosted a live jazz concert! Last weekend, the South Carolina Philharmonic held a concert and, of course, my son, Patrick, directed the play “Hand to God”, at the Trustus Theatre!

If you are looking for something to do tonight, you might want to check out the Palmetto Chamber Orchestra at Katie and Irwin Kahn JCC or the wine tasting event at the Riverbanks Zoo and Garden.

On Saturday, South Carolina State Fairgrounds will host the Annual South Carolina Food Truck and Craft Beer Festival and the Smithsonian exhibit “Beyond Bollywood” opens at the South Carolina State Museum. There will also be a “Touch a Truck” event located at the South Carolina State Farmers Market where children can touch and explore firetrucks, bulldozers, military vehicles, and much more!

Lastly, this Sunday, the Ebenezer Lutheran Church will host a BBQ and Blues event with live food and music and the Museum of Art will be holding the Greater Columbia Record Fair, with record vendors bringing all the best vinyl to Columbia!

Let’s not forget the ongoing events like Soda City on Main Street and the daily South Carolina State House Tours! The list is endless, so never let it be said that there’s nothing to do in Columbia!

As most people know, I’ve been handling Social Security Disability claims (and every now and then a retirement claim) for almost forty years. April is National Social Security Month, the month in which we celebrate the creation and continuing existence of Social Security. The Social Security program is a life-saving safety net for many millions of Americans. Next month, it will take on a new significance for me because, as of May, I will be a first time, card-carrying Medicare recipient.

I always say one of the best benefits of the Social Security program is being a recipient of a Medicare or Medicaid card. Medicaid, as it currently exists (who knows what will happen down the road), is a wonderful insurance program for those who are beneficiaries. Without it, many South Carolinians, and many Americans, would have no access to healthcare whatsoever. On a more personal note, I am faced with making a very important decision, as I’m sure many of my peers are, and that is, when I will begin to draw my Social Security retirement benefits. After checking with the professionals, I am planning to wait until age seventy, if possible, to draw the benefits that I have paid for over a lengthy career.

My staff and I at the Mike Kelly Law Group represent claimants who need help appealing denied applications for Social Security Disability Benefits. Our experienced attorneys are very successful at recovering benefits and expediting this process for our clients. We care about our clients and stay true to our statement: We’re here for the people of South Carolina, with offices in Columbia, Myrtle Beach and Winnsboro.

As we are deep into the holy week, with Good Friday being one of the most solemn days in Christian life, I am reminded of a sermon given by Dr. Marshall Edwards, who pastored at The First Baptist Church of Columbia and later at St. Andrews Baptist Church. He was a friend and I admired him greatly, as a person and as a preacher. His sermon, “It’s Friday but Sunday is coming…”, gave a detailed account of the darkness, gloom and utter despair of the events of that Good Friday, to the resurrection of Jesus Christ on Sunday. In all our lives, sometimes the darkest moments are followed by new beginnings.

The Mike Kelly Law Group will be closed today in observance of Good Friday, as is our tradition, but we will be back at work on Monday after the resurrection story has been celebrated to the highest!

For South Carolina athletes, 2016-17 has been remarkable in terms of showing their excellence on the national stage. For starters, the Coastal Carolina Chanticleers won their first ever national college baseball championship. For a relatively young school of a smaller size to achieve this lofty rank was incredible! This was followed by the NCAA Football Championship being won by the Clemson Tigers. More recently, the outstanding achievement of the University of South Carolina’s men’s and women’s basketball teams making it to their respective final fours, with the women’s team claiming victory in the finals, making the Lady Gamecocks, the well-deserved NCAA WBB National Champions!

Topping it all off, from the world of golf, Irmo’s own Dustin Johnson winning six times in the last eighteen tournaments, most recently, the World Golf Championships. This week, due to injury, he has withdrawn from the Masters Tournament held 60 miles down the road from us, in Augusta, Georgia. Without a doubt; Dustin was a favorite of many to win the Masters this year. I have full confidence that a Masters win is imminent in this promising young champion’s future!

Excellence in athletics and academics are a hallmark of our state institutions. We, at the Mike Kelly Law Group, strive for excellence as we serve the legal needs of our clients and the people of South Carolina.

In light of the ongoing issues within the Veterans Administration concerning the provision of medical and disability services to those who have served our country, let me take this opportunity to remind you that the Mike Kelly Law Group stands ready to assist veterans with their claims for disability benefits. We have a team of professionals, both here in Columbia and in Myrtle Beach, SC, who are knowledgeable in this area, and are ready to assist veterans in the complicated and cumbersome process of obtaining the benefits they so rightfully deserve. We do this with compassion, concern and respect for those who have honorably given of their time, health and well-being in order to keep our great nation safe. If you, or someone you know, need help with challenging the Veterans Administration, please do not hesitate to contact us. In addition to Veterans Disability Benefits services, we continue to be out front and leading the way with regards to all other disability claims, including short-term disability, long-term disability and, of course, Social Security Disability. The Mike Kelly Law Group is here for the people of South Carolina, and we thank the courageous men and women who have served and continue to serve and protect our country and our freedoms!

In 2017, I plan on introducing the other members of the Mike Kelly Law Group to the KellyGram nation. Our featured attorney this week is Michael Paul Swearingen. Paul, as his friends call him, was born and raised in Winnsboro, South Carolina, and attended Spartanburg Methodist College and Newberry College. He then attended USC School of Law, graduating in 1998. After law school, Paul went back to Winnsboro and has practiced law and has served the community there ever since. His wife, Amanda, is also part of the Mike Kelly Law Group family, and they have four children, Kristi, Hayden, Ethan and Aiden.

Paul’s practice centers around Wills, Trusts, Estate and Probate Law and Real Estate transactions. He is very experienced in his craft, and is available to our clients in all three offices, Columbia, Myrtle Beach, and Winnsboro. It is important as we go through life and accumulate assets that we have a will and an estate plan to avoid taxes, family disputes, and other bad things that happen when our loved ones leave us. It is also important to have your own lawyer and not depend on the bank and financial institutions’ counsel. For more information on why this is so important, please read Paul’s blog this month on hiring an attorney.