STEPHANIE H. BURTON

Some attorneys are litigators – they take depositions, serve and respond to discovery, and ultimately settle cases. While Stephanie recommends settlements when the terms are favorable or when the cost/benefit analysis warrants settlement to the firm’s clients, Stephanie is a trial lawyer with extensive trial experience. A Southpaw brawler in the courtroom, Stephanie has tried more than 50 cases in state and federal courts and in arbitration proceedings. Stephanie has tried bet-the-company, multi-party, multi-million-dollar cases.

When an opponent is on the offensive, Stephanie’s understanding of the Rules of Civil Procedure, strategy, and legal precedent allows her to effectively counterpunch for her clients to achieve favorable results.

Personal Interests

When not in the legal ring, Stephanie, a double-Gamecock, is an avid USC sports fan. Stephanie enjoys spending time with her husband, Brian, and their four children and large menagerie of pets.

Presentations

Stephanie speaks frequently on legal topics, particularly issues involving design and construction.

• 45th Annual Technical Staff Virtual Meeting for F&R, Inc.: Risk Management for Geotechnical Engineers – (aka – How to Avoid Spending Time with Attorneys!), February 24, 2022
• ACEC Fall 2020 Conference: Understanding Limitations of Liability and Certificates of Merit as a Sub-Consultant, October 30, 2020
• 2019 DPRCG Convocation in Austin, Texas, Understanding eDiscovery & How Your Firm Must Comply, October 31, 2019
• 22nd Annual ACEC/SC/SCDOPT Meeting in Columbia, South Carolina, Risk Management in Design-Build Projects, December 3, 2019
• Understanding and Negotiating Contract Terms and a Consultant on a Design/Build Project, presented at the Fall Conference of ACEC, October 30, 2018
• Minimizing Project Risk, presented to the ACEC-SC/SCDOT Annual Meeting, December 4, 2018
• Professional Liability Seminar, presented to AIA Grand Strand, June 12, 2018
• Risk Management Tools So You Can Sleep At Night, presented at Carolinas Engineering Conference and Trade Show, June 8, 2018
• Risk Management for the Future of Engineering presented to the 2018 ACEC-SC/SCSPE Winter Meeting on February 14, 2018.
• Risk Management for Geotechnical Engineers, presented to the International Association of Foundation Drilling on November 9, 2017.
• Selling Expertise: Practical Tips, Risk Management, and Ethics, in-house presentation by Gibbes Burton, LLC on May 5, 2017
• Managing Risk to Build Success, presented at the SCSPE Fall Symposium in Charleston, South Carolina on November 17, 2016.
• Managing Risk to Build Success, presented at the SCSPE Fall Symposium in Greenville, South Carolina on November 16, 2016.
• Risk Management Issues for Design and Construction Projects, in-house presentation by Gibbes Burton, LLC on May 20, 2016.

Areas of Practice

• Construction and Design Law
• Commercial and Corporate Litigation
• Local Counsel
• Professional Negligence

Certified Legal Specialties

• Specialist in Employment and Labor Law, South Carolina Bar (1998-2012)

Bar Admissions

• South Carolina, 1989
• U.S. District Court District of South Carolina, 1989
• U.S. Court of Appeals 4th Circuit, 1989

Education

• University of South Carolina School of Law, Columbia, South Carolina
  • J.D. – 1989
  • Honors: Order of the Wig and Robe
  • Honors: Robert L. Wagner Labor Law Moot Court Team
  • Law Review: South Carolina Law Review, Member & Executive Editor, 1987 – 1989
• Sam Houston State University
  • Starting in 2014 pursuing Master’s degree in History
• University of South Carolina
  • B.A. – 1986

Published Works

• “Lights, Camera, Action: Video-Taping & Closed Circuit Procedures Coyly Confront the 11th Amendment, 40 South Carolina Law Review 693, 1989
• Labor and Employment Law for South Carolina Lawyers, Contributing Author, South Carolina Bar

Honors and Awards

• Martindale-Hubbell’s Highest AV Rating
• Listed in Super Lawyers for Construction Litigation
• Recognized by Greenville Business Magazine in its Legal Elite Edition in Construction Law

Professional Associations and Memberships

• American Bar Association, Forum on the Construction Industry, Member
• South Carolina Bar, Member
• Spartanburg County Bar Association, Member
• South Carolina Defense Trial Attorneys Association, Executive Committee 2003-2006
• South Carolina Bar Resolution of Fee Disputes Board, Seventh Circuit Chair 2005-2018
• South Carolina Women Lawyers Association
• Affiliate member of ACEC-SC
• ACEC Legal Counsel Forum, Member

• Construction Lawyers Society of America, Fellow