Nine alumni from the School of Law at the University of South Carolina have been named recipients of the 2019 Compleat Lawyer Awards.

“This year’s recipients are servant leaders, champions of diversity and inclusion, and advocates for the disadvantaged,” said Robert M. Wilcox, dean of the School of Law. “Each one leads with a true collegial spirit, embodying all aspects of what it means to be a Compleat Lawyer.”

The awards are given in three categories based on years in practice: Platinum (31 years or more), Gold (16 to 30 years) and Silver (15 years or less). The award recipients will be recognized at the School of Law’s 27th Annual Compleat Lawyer Awards Ceremony on Thursday, April 4.

This year’s Compleat Lawyer Award recipients are:

Platinum Awards:

• 1977 alumna M. Malissa Burnette, Burnette Shutt & McDaniel, PA in Columbia
• 1981 alumnus Karl A. Folkens, Folkens Law Firm, PA in Florence
• 1987 alumnus C. Ben Garren, The Coca-Cola Company in Atlanta

Gold Awards:

• 1991 alumnus John T. Lay Jr., Gallivan White & Boyd, PA in Charleston
• 1992 alumnus Boyd B. Nicholson, Haynsworth Sinkler Boyd, PA in Greenville
• 1998 alumnusMatthew T. Richardson, Wyche, PA in Columbia

Silver Awards:

• 2009 alumnus Miles E. Coleman, Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough, LLP in Greenville
• 2005 alumnaAllison P. Sullivan, Bluestein Thompson Sullivan, LLC in Columbia
• 2011 alumnaSheila Willis, Fisher & Phillips, LLP in Columbia

Established in 1992, the Compleat Lawyer Award is the School of Law’s highest recognition of professional achievement and civic leadership by the school’s alumni. Recipients are nominated by members of the Bar or by the public and are chosen by a committee comprising the chief justice of the South Carolina Supreme Court, the chief judge of the South Carolina Court of Appeals, the president of the South Carolina Bar, the School of Law’s dean and the co-chair of the Law School Alumni Council.