The Hon. R. Ferrell Cothran, Jr. is a judge for the 3rd Judicial Circuit Court of South Carolina. He was elected to the bench by the South Carolina General Assembly on October 2, 2006, filling a vacancy created by the retirement of the Hon. Thomas W. Cooper, Jr.
The 3rd Judicial Circuit encompasses Lee, Sumter, Clarendon, and Williamsburg Counties.
Cothran earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of South Carolina in 1974. He then completed a J.D. at the University of South Carolina School of Law in 1977.
After graduating from law school, Cothran began his legal career as a partner at Cothran, Chandler & Cothran. He remained with the firm until 2000, as it was renamed Cothran & Cothran (1979) and Cothran & Robinson (1997). Cothran specialized in real estate, family, civil, and criminal matters, supplementing his practice with service as the County Attorney for Clarendon County (1979 to 2006) and the assistant solicitor for the 3rd Judicial Circuit Solicitor’s Office (1983 to 2006).
Cothran was born and raised in Manning, South Carolina. He and his wife, Deborah, have two children. The family attends First Presbyterian Church at Manning. When not presiding over legal proceedings, he enjoys hunting, fishing, and cooking.