Malissa Burnette

Malissa Burnette

Member

1812 Lincoln Street
Columbia, South Carolina

Biography

A certified specialist in employment and labor law since 1993, M. Malissa Burnette has an extensive history of working toward workplace and social justice. She also has a wealth of experience in family law, personal injury, sexual harassment and discrimination law as well.

She practices in state and federal courts, primarily representing individuals in complex employment cases involving discrimination, civil and constitutional rights, breach of contract, covenants to not compete, employment-related torts, wage payment claims and academic tenure and promotions issues.  She's also an experienced mediator - she's certified at the federal level - and arbitrator.

Malissa is co-author and editor of all four editions of Labor and Employment Law for South Carolina Lawyers, published by the South Carolina Bar in 1999, 2004, 2007 and 2011.

She holds a bachelor's degree in sociology from the University of South Carolina and is a graduate of the University of South Carolina School of Law.

Malissa has been recognized by her peers for excellence in the field of employment law and alternative dispute resolution, being named in The Best Lawyers in America from 2005 to 2012. In the 2012 edition, she was named Columbia's Lawyer of the Year in the practice area of  Employment Law - Individuals.

From 2008 through 2011, Malissa was included in South Carolina Super Lawyers in the category of Plaintiff's Employment Litigation. Also in 2011, she was honored with the South Carolina Bar's Employment Law Section's first Distinguished Lawyer Award. She's served as president of the South Carolina Women Lawyers Association, chair of the South Carolina Bar's Judicial Qualifications Committee, chair of the South Carolina Association for Justice's Employment Law Section and is currently a member of the South Carolina Bar's Resolution of Fees Disputes Board. She frequently presents continuing legal education programs on employment law issues for the South Carolina Bar, the South Carolina Association for Justice and the American Trial Lawyers Association. Malissa also has written numerous articles for legal and business publications.

Her volunteer work includes numerous other Bar, community and church boards and commissions.  She's held a number of appointed positions over the years, ranging from The Governor's Domestic Violence Task Force to the board of directors of South Carolina Equality. She also served as former Lt. Gov. Nancy Stevenson's chief of staff.

Malissa is married to Michael G. LeFever. They have a daughter, Grant Burnette LeFever, who attends Presbyterian College.

Honors and Awards
  • Best Lawyers in America, 2005 through 2010
  • South Carolina Super Lawyers, 2008-2012
  • Matindale-Hubbell AV rating, 1997 to 2010 
Published Works
  • Co-author and editor of Labor and Employment Law for South Carolina Lawyers, 1999, 2004 and 2007 editions.
  • Author of approximately 10 articles on employment issues for publications of the South Carolina Bar, the South Carolina Trial Lawyers Association, the University of South Carolina's South Carolina Forum and the University of South Carolina Business and Economic Review.
Classes/Seminars
  •  Presenter and author of more than 40 continuing legal education seminars for organizations including:
  • South Carolina Bar
  • South Carolina Trial Lawyers Association
  • The Association of Trial Lawyers of America
  • The American Civil Liberties Union
  • The Council on Education in Management
  • The New Family Court Judges' Training
  • South Carolina Workers' Compensation Education Conference
  • The North Carolina/South Carolina Employment Law Bar Sections
  • The National Advocacy Center.
Practice Areas
Admissions
  • South Carolina Bar, 1977
  • United States District Court, District of South Carolina, 1978
  • United States Court of Appeals, Fourth Circuit, 1978
  • United States Supreme Court, 1998
Education
  • University of South Carolina School of Law, JD, 1977
  • University of South Carolina, bachelor's of sociology, 1971
  • Winthrop College, 1968-69

 

Associations
  • South Carolina Bar
  • Richland County Bar Association
  • Association of Trial Lawyers of America
  • South Carolina Trial Lawyers Association
  • South Carolina Women Lawyers Association
  • South Carolina Equality, Board of Directors, 2009 to present
  • Sexual Trauma Services of the Midlands, Trustee Advisory Council, 2001 to present
  • South Carolina Reproductive Health PAC
  • South Carolina Coalition for Healthy Families
  • Sierra Club
  • Friends of the Congaree Swamp