Judge Cely Anne Brigman was born in 1961 to D. Kenneth Baker and Mary Cely Baker, now deceased.  Her father practiced law over 50 years and her mother was a stay-at-home mom who eventually was elected the first female to both Darlington City Council and Darlington County Council.

Judge Brigman was educated in the Darlington County public school system and graduated from St. John’s High School in 1979.  She went on to attend Columbia College where she graduated in 1983 with a B.A. in Public Affairs.  During college, Judge Brigman was active in student government and was chosen for Who’s Who in American Colleges and Universities.  Following graduation she attended the University of South Carolina School of Law, graduating a semester early in December 1985.  She is licensed to practice in the State of South Carolina, the United States District Court and the United States Supreme Court.

Upon graduation, Judge Brigman worked for Green, Lockemy and Bailey in Dillon, SC, eventually returning home to Darlington to practice with her father.  Her last years of practice were spent focusing on family law with the Jebaily Law Firm in Florence, SC.

In 2004, Judge Brigman was appointed to serve as Chief Magistrate of Darlington County, a position she held until her election to the family court bench.  She served as past chair of the family law section for the Association for Justice and on the Family Law Council for the South Carolina Bar Association.  During her 29 years of private practice, she was active with the South Carolina Bar, serving in both the House of Delegates and The Board of Governors.  She has also spoken at numerous CLEs.

Judge Brigman was elected to the Family Court Bench in May 2015.  She is married to Greg Brigman and has two daughters, Baker Reynolds Tange and Emma Reynolds.  She attends St. Matthews Episcopal Church in Darlington.