Judge Roy R. Hemphill was born on September 20, 1965 in Chester, South Carolina.  He is the son of Paul Hemphill, Jr., and Lucy Robinson Hemphill.  Judge Hemphill is married to Lynn Terry Hemphill and they have five children; Albert E. Hemphill, Claire S. Hemphill, Jon Croft Hollingsworth, Grace Hollingsworth, and Paul H. Hemphill. 

Judge Hemphill graduated from Chester High School in 1983.  He received a BS in Business Administration from the Citadel in 1987.  He received a Juris Doctor degree from the University of South Carolina School of Law and was admitted to the South Carolina Bar in 1990.  His term as Master-in-Equity for Abbeville County began in July 2019. 

Judge Hemphill began practicing law in Greenwood upon being admitted to the Bar.  He has continuously been with the same law firm, which is now known as McDonald Patrick Poston Hemphill & Roper, LLC.  He is a member of the Greenwood County Bar Association.  He is admitted to practice in all state courts, as well as the United States District Court for the District of South Carolina, and the United States Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals.

Judge Hemphill served on the Greenwood County School District 50 Board of Trustees from 2008 – 2012.  He and his wife are members of First Presbyterian Church of Greenwood, where he has served as an Elder.