Malissa Burnette among “Influential Women of Law” honorees
COLUMBIA, SC – Congratulations to founding partner Malissa Burnette, included in the inaugural class of “Influential Women of Law.” The list of honorees is part of a recent edition of “South Carolina Lawyers Weekly.”
The Influential Women of Law awards program recognizes attorneys for their excellent work, their commitment to their communities, and their service to the legal profession. Significant time devoted to volunteerism and pro bono initiatives are considerations.
Burnette is a skilled litigator who represents clients in state and federal court, including high-profile, precedent-setting cases before the U.S. Supreme Court and South Carolina Supreme Court. She is dedicated to fighting for the rights of others.
Burnette and firm co-founder Nekki Shutt were part of the legal team that helped pave the way for marriage equality in South Carolina. Along with the firm’s third founder Kathleen McDaniel and attorney Grant Burnette LeFever, Burnette also is part of the legal team leading the on-going fight for reproductive rights in South Carolina. Their work includes several legal challenges, spanning several years, to the state’s six-week abortion ban.
A South Carolina Supreme Court-certified specialist in employment law, Burnette was honored in 2020 with the South Carolina Bar’s Senior Lawyer’s Division Pro Bono Award. During her decades-long career, she’s represented clients pro bono and at reduced rates in cases ranging from precedent-setting lawsuits that have changed the lives of many to workplace and civil rights cases that have affected individuals.
She’s earned dozens of other professional accolades, too, including frequent inclusion in “Best Lawyers in America” and “Super Lawyers.” She’s long held an AV Preeminent Rating from Martindale-Hubbell, which is the organization’s top peer-reviewed status. The University of South Carolina Joseph F. Rice School of Law Alumni Council has honored her with a Compleat Attorney Award. The honor goes to lawyers demonstrating outstanding professionalism and civic accomplishment.