Biography
Jessica W. Laffitte is a partner in the firm’s Columbia, South Carolina, office. She focuses her practice on a range of litigation matters primarily related to business and commercial litigation, toxic torts, complex personal injury claims, and insurance coverage issues. Jessica has been extensively involved in business and commercial disputes, often involving high-stakes corporate and governmental issues. She handles matters concerning contractual disputes, business torts, and other complex litigation arising out of business transactions.
Jessica also devotes a significant amount of time to complex litigation involving products liability and asbestos and toxic torts litigation. Additionally, she regularly advises clients on insurance coverage issues with a particular emphasis on the existence and scope of coverage for a variety of claims including commercial first-party policies, declaratory judgment litigation and bad faith litigation.
Jessica previously clerked with the Honorable John W. Kittredge at the Supreme Court of South Carolina, which provided her invaluable appellate analysis and advocacy skills that she now implements while handling various appeals for clients. Jessica is a member of the Supreme Court of South Carolina’s Commission on CLE and Specialization.
Jessica is dedicated to exceeding the expectations of her clients and believes that consistent and reliable communication with the client is imperative to the success of a matter. It is her goal to provide a high level of communication with competent legal advice in order to attain the highest level of client satisfaction.
Education
University of South Carolina
B.A. (2008)
Charleston School of Law
J.D. (2011)
Associations & Professional Memberships
- Defense Research Institute (DRI), The Voice of the Defense Bar
- Richland County Bar, Young Lawyers Division, Co-Chair
- South Carolina Bar, Young Lawyers Division (YLD)
- South Carolina Defense Trial Attorneys’ Association (SCDTAA), Board Member
- Supreme Court of South Carolina, Commission on CLE and Specialization, Member
Honors & Awards
- Best Lawyers in America, Ones to Watch, Product Liability Litigation – Defendants (2021-2024)
- CALI Excellence for the Future Awards
- Legal Research & Writing
- Contracts I
- Contracts II
- Civil Procedure II
- Equity
- Federal Courts Law Review, Publications Editor
- Legal Elite of the Midlands- Insurance (2022)
- Phi Beta Kappa
- South Carolina Defense Trial Attorneys’ Association (SCDTAA), Emerging Leader
Community Involvement
- Downtown Columbia YMCA, Board of Directors, Former Chair
- Junior League of Columbia (2011-2015)
- The Palladium Society, Historic Columbia, Member