Leon Stavrinakis

Leonidas "Leon" E. Stavrinakis was born on January 5, 1966, in Charleston, South Carolina. He is a Democratic Party member representing South Carolina House District 119 in Charleston County. Stavrinakis is an attorney and owner of the Stavrinakis Law Firm, where he has represented clients in State and Federal Courts for over two decades. He earned a reputation early in his career as an honest and fair prosecutor while working in the local prosecutor's office, and later became known as a tough and top-notch trial lawyer.

Stavrinakis is married to Anne and resides in Charleston.

Education

Stavrinakis received his B.A. from the College of Charleston in 1988 and his J.D. from the University of South Carolina School of Law in 1992.

Political Experience

Stavrinakis began his public service career in 1998 when he was elected to Charleston County Council, where he served as chairman from 2004 to 2006. In 2006, he was elected to the South Carolina House of Representatives, where he has served for nearly two decades.

Within the House, Stavrinakis holds several notable positions:

• Chair of the House Economic Development Budget Subcommittee
• Member of the House Ethics Committee
• Member of the House Revenue Policy Subcommittee
• Member of the House Sales & Use Tax and Income Tax Legislative Subcommittee of the House Ways and Means Committee
• Parliamentarian of the House Minority Caucus

He has been recognized for his legislative work, having been voted "Best Local Legislator" multiple times in the Charleston City Paper's "Best Of Charleston" edition, most recently in 2016 and 2017. Stavrinakis also ran for Charleston mayor following the retirement of longtime mayor Joseph P. Riley Jr., advancing to a runoff before being defeated by John Tecklenburg.