Johanna came to Burnette Shutt & McDaniel after an impressive career in public service. She worked for six years in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of South Carolina, rising to deputy chief for the Civil Division.
Having prosecuted scores of government fraud cases involving healthcare, government contracts, customs, military contracts, and more during her time in the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Johanna knows how to identify a compelling False Claims Act or qui tam case. She now puts those skills to work representing Burnette Shutt & McDaniel clients in False Claims Act qui tam whistleblower cases.
Johanna uses insights and experience gleaned during her tenure as an Assistant U.S. Attorney to help clients assemble data and organize complex material to build the strongest possible case. Though her role is different now than when she was an Assistant U.S. Attorney, her goal remains the same: Helping whistleblowers expose corruption and wrongdoing that rob the public.
She also served as civil rights coordinator for the U.S. Attorney’s Office Civil Division. Her work included supervising cases involving the Institutionalized Persons Act, juvenile justice, the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Olmstead Act, Title VI, Title VII, and the Fair Housing Act. Her leadership earned her multiple national awards and U.S. Attorney’s Office commendations.
Prior to joining the U.S. Attorney’s office, Johanna worked as an attorney for the South Carolina Senate Judiciary Committee, as a senior assistant deputy in the South Carolina Attorney General’s Office and as an assistant solicitor who represented the state in hundreds of cases, including a dozen trials.
Johanna attended law school after serving in the U.S. Air Force. She earned a bachelor’s degree in international studies from the University of South Carolina and a juris doctor from the University of South Carolina School of Law. She completed a clerkship with the U.S. District Court Judge G. Ross Anderson Jr. following law school.
She’s deeply committed to giving back to the community. She’s served the legal profession through numerous positions with the South Carolina Bar and the South Carolina Women Lawyers Association. She has also mentored undergraduate and law students and served as a mock trial coach in public schools.
Married with three children, Johanna is an avid hiker in her free time. She is working toward achieving South Carolina State Parks Ultimate Outsider status by visiting all state parks in South Carolina.