If you’ve lived in the Upstate for more than a minute, the name Walt Wilkins is basically synonymous with the Greenville County Courthouse. For fourteen years, he was the guy. The 13th Circuit Solicitor. The one who decided which cases went to trial and which didn’t across Greenville and Pickens counties. But in May 2025, everything changed.
Walt Wilkins stepped down.
It wasn't a scandal or a sudden health scare. Honestly, it was a move that felt both surprising and perfectly natural for anyone following the Wilkins family tree. He left the public sector to start a private firm, Wilkins Davis, joining forces with his father, Billy Wilkins.
The Law Is in the Blood
You can’t really talk about Walt Wilkins Greenville SC without talking about his dad. William Walter "Billy" Wilkins isn't just a retired judge; he’s a legend in South Carolina legal circles. We’re talking about a man who was Ronald Reagan’s first appointment to the federal bench.
Walt grew up in this world. He graduated from Wofford in '96 and then USC Law in '99. He didn't just stay in the Upstate, though. He actually spent time as an attorney for Lockheed Martin in Argentina. Talk about a curveball. But the pull of South Carolina was too strong. By 2005, he was an Assistant U.S. Attorney, and by 2008, George W. Bush appointed him the U.S. Attorney for the District of South Carolina.
He was only 34.
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Leading the 13th Circuit
In 2010, Walt decided to run for Solicitor. He won. And then he won again. And again. By the time he retired, he was the longest-serving Solicitor in the history of the 13th Circuit.
What did he actually do during those 14 years? A lot of it was the "grind" of the legal system that most people don't see. He set up a Worthless Check Program that helped local businesses get their money back. He created a Sex Crime Prosecution Unit. He launched the Multi-jurisdictional Drug Enforcement Unit (DEU) in 2019 alongside Sheriff Johnny Mack Brown.
It wasn't all just policy, though. Walt was known for being a trial lawyer at heart. He didn't just sit in the office; he got into the pit. One of his most notable local wins was the nuisance action against Platinum Plus, a strip club that had been a thorn in the side of local law enforcement for years. He and his future law partner, Lane Davis, successfully argued to shut it down.
That Time Off the Coast of the Bahamas
There is one story about Walt Wilkins that most people in Greenville have heard bits and pieces of, but it sounds like a movie script. In 2003, Walt and his wife, Donyelle, were in a plane crash.
The plane went down in the Atlantic.
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They weren't just waiting for a boat. They were in four-to-six-foot waves for two hours. Walt didn't just save himself; he helped keep two children afloat until help arrived. When people talk about his "tenacity" in the courtroom, they usually point back to those two hours in the ocean. It’s hard to intimidate a guy who has literally stared down the Atlantic after a plane crash.
Why Leave Now?
So, why did the most powerful prosecutor in the Upstate quit in 2025?
"Highlight of my career," he called his time as Solicitor. But the opportunity to work with his father, Billy, was the tipping point. The elder Wilkins had been at Maynard Nexsen for years before starting his own boutique thing in 2024.
The new firm, Wilkins Davis, is located on Mills Avenue in Greenville. They aren't doing small-time stuff. They are focusing on:
- Complex Civil Litigation (high-stakes business brawls)
- Criminal Defense (both state and federal)
- White-Collar Investigations
- Victim Representation
It’s a massive shift. One day you’re the one bringing the charges, and the next, you’re the one defending against them or representing the victims. For Walt, it seems to be about the challenge of the "boutique" environment where he can hand-pick the cases.
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The Legacy Left Behind
When Walt resigned, Governor Henry McMaster appointed Cynthia Crick to fill the gap. It’s a big seat to fill. Wilkins wasn't just a prosecutor; he was a political fixture. He even dipped his toes into the Governor's race back in 2018 as Catherine Templeton's running mate for Lieutenant Governor. They didn't win, but it showed his reach beyond just the Greenville courthouse.
The legal landscape in Walt Wilkins' Greenville SC is different now. The DEU he started is still running. The specialized units he built are still there. But the man himself is now a few blocks away, likely sitting across the table from his dad, plotting out their next big trial.
What This Means for You
If you are looking for legal help in the Upstate, here is the reality of the post-Solicitor era:
- The Expertise Moved: If you’re dealing with a federal investigation or a complex business dispute, the brain trust that used to run the prosecution is now available for hire in the private sector.
- A Changing Courthouse: With a new Solicitor in place, the "Wilkins way" of doing things—which emphasized multi-jurisdictional cooperation and aggressive drug enforcement—might see some shifts in priority.
- Local History Matters: In a city like Greenville, who you know and their history in the system matters. Having a former U.S. Attorney and a former 13th Circuit Solicitor in one firm is a rare legal heavy-hitter combo.
For those tracking the legal shifts in South Carolina, the best move is to keep an eye on the filings coming out of Wilkins Davis. That’s where the next chapter of this legacy is being written.