Karen L. Hallenbeck’s areas of practice include corporate and environmental law, primarily in the utility sector, as well as business transactions and intellectual property. Prior to joining The Tiencken Law Firm, LLC, Karen served as Legal Counsel to the MUSC Foundation for Research Development. Karen is a Cum Laude graduate of the Charleston School of Law’s inaugural class. While there she served as a founding member of the Federal Courts Law Review and the Environmental Law Society. Karen is also a graduate of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute where she received her B.S. in Chemical Engineering in 1987 and was a 4-year member of the Women’s Tennis Team. Prior to attending law school Karen spent a number of years as an engineer, primarily in the Paper and Paper Chemicals industries focusing on environmental management. She teaches Environmental Law at Trident Technical College. Karen is an active member of Saint Andrew’s Church in Mt. Pleasant where she is involved in several ministry groups. In her spare time Karen enjoys spending time with her grown son, Josh, on Charleston’s area golf courses and playing tennis.

A Stetson University College of Law graduate, Chris competed on Stetson University's nationally ranked trial team and won multiple competitions. He continued his excellence in trial advocacy during law school studying trial strategies and techniques abroad in Oxford, England, at St. Hugh's College. In addition, Chris was a teaching assistant in trial advocacy to The Honorable Judge Shawn Crane, Circuit Court Judge for the 6th Judicial Circuit. While trial work is Chris' passion, he remained active on campus, serving as the American Bar Association's Diversity Chair. After law school, Chris served as an Assistant State Attorney for the 12th Judicial Circuit in Sarasota, FL. As a prosecutor, he gained invaluable jury trial experience handling the prosecution of juvenile, misdemeanor, and felony cases. Chris handled various criminal offenses ranging from misdemeanor traffic violations to firearm offenses and drug trafficking as a prosecutor. Chris participates in numerous organizations across the Sarasota community, including serving as the editor for the Sarasota County Bar Association, a member of Sarasota County’s Council for Diversity and Inclusion, coaching high school mock trials, and more. When Chris isn’t working, he enjoys walking Sarasota with his husky Jeter and playing golf, pickleball, and softball.

Mr. Halstead is Board Certified in Criminal Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization. He began his legal career over 20 years ago as a prosecutor for Bexar County, Texas. He received his B.A. from Texas A&M University and J.D. degree from St. Mary’s University School of Law in San Antonio, Texas. For 14 years Woody represented the State of Texas as a prosecutor in thousands of criminal cases ranging from misdemeanors to murders and concluded his prosecution career as the First Assistant for the Bexar County D.A.’s Office. During his legal career, Woody also worked part-time as a criminal law magistrate judge for Bexar County. As a result of his position as First Assistant in the D.A.’s office, Woody personally knows almost every Assistant D.A. in Bexar County and enjoys a reputation as an excellent trial lawyer. His ability to assess his clients’ cases from both a prosecution and defense perspective enables him to provide invaluable insight into the evaluation of their cases.