M. Malissa Burnette

M. Malissa Burnette has been fighting for individuals’ rights throughout her career. As an attorney, she has been deeply involved in cases that focus on women’s rights and the rights of same-sex couples. She says that when she joined forces with Nekki Shutt and Kathleen McDaniel to found the law firm that bears their names, “it was with a goal of creating a firm that would move law forward.” Over the course of her career, Burnette has taken part in a number of landmark cases, with outcomes that allowed women to attend state-supported military academies, granted same-sex couples the right to legally marry, and allowed girls to play contact sports in South Carolina. She’s also challenged the state’s strict reproductive-health laws. Burnette has been a state Supreme Court-certified employment law specialist for decades, representing clients in cases where their civil rights and careers were on the line, and she’s been heavily involved in pro bono work. Asked how Columbia’s role as state capital has influenced her work this year, Burnette said, “I must remain keenly aware of pending legislation that may affect my clients or my family and feel a duty to participate in the legislative process as much as possible.”