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About
David Paavola grew up in Juneau, Alaska and went to college in Waco, Texas at Baylor University. He began his professional career in commercial banking and finance in upstate New York and then in Indianapolis, Indiana. He and his wife settled in Columbia, South Carolina in 2008, where he worked for AgFirst Farm Credit Bank as a credit analyst before attending law school. David believes the seven years he spent working in banking and finance prior to law school gives him a unique perspective and approach for his business clients.
David Paavola represents individuals and businesses in eminent domain and condemnation, complex business disputes, professional misconduct, legal malpractice, contract disputes, financial services litigation, and wage and hour law litigation. David also represents clients in appellate cases. He has been selected as a South Carolina Super Lawyers® Rising Star for 2019 & 2020, an honor limited to only 2.5% of attorneys in South Carolina that have practiced 10 years or less.
David Paavola received a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in Financial Services and Planning from Baylor University in 2002, and a Juris Doctor from the University of South Carolina School of Law in 2012. During law school, David served as the Editor in Chief of the South Carolina Law Review. Prior to attending law school, David worked in the financial services industry as a commercial and agricultural loan credit analyst in upstate New York and Columbia, South Carolina, and also as an analyst at a fixed income investment management company in Indianapolis, Indiana.
Prior to practicing at Lewis Babcock, David served as an Assistant Attorney General in the Consumer Protection and Antitrust Section of the Office of the South Carolina Attorney General. In that role, David worked to protect South Carolina consumers from unfair, deceptive, or anticompetitive trade practices through enforcement of the South Carolina Unfair Trade Practices Act and the South Carolina Antitrust Act. David began his legal career working for a national firm in its pharmaceutical and medical device litigation practice group.
David Paavola represents individuals and businesses in eminent domain and condemnation, complex business disputes, professional misconduct, legal malpractice, contract disputes, financial services litigation, and wage and hour law litigation. David also represents clients in appellate cases. He has been selected as a South Carolina Super Lawyers® Rising Star for 2019 & 2020, an honor limited to only 2.5% of attorneys in South Carolina that have practiced 10 years or less.
David Paavola received a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in Financial Services and Planning from Baylor University in 2002, and a Juris Doctor from the University of South Carolina School of Law in 2012. During law school, David served as the Editor in Chief of the South Carolina Law Review. Prior to attending law school, David worked in the financial services industry as a commercial and agricultural loan credit analyst in upstate New York and Columbia, South Carolina, and also as an analyst at a fixed income investment management company in Indianapolis, Indiana.
Prior to practicing at Lewis Babcock, David served as an Assistant Attorney General in the Consumer Protection and Antitrust Section of the Office of the South Carolina Attorney General. In that role, David worked to protect South Carolina consumers from unfair, deceptive, or anticompetitive trade practices through enforcement of the South Carolina Unfair Trade Practices Act and the South Carolina Antitrust Act. David began his legal career working for a national firm in its pharmaceutical and medical device litigation practice group.
Education
Baylor University, B.B.A., 2002
University of South Carolina School of Law, J.D., Magna Cum Laude, 2012
- Financial Management Association National Honor Society
- Beta Gamma Sigma
University of South Carolina School of Law, J.D., Magna Cum Laude, 2012
- Editor in Chief, South Carolina Law Review Volume 63
- Judicial Intern to the Honorable Margaret B. Seymour
- Judicial Intern to the Honorable Henry F. Floyd
- Order of the Coif
- Order of the Wig and Robe
- I Know Exactly What You Mean: Recognizing the Danger of Coded Appeals to Religious Prejudice in Capital Cases, 62 S.C. L. Rev. 639 (2011).
BAR ADMISSIONS
South Carolina, 2012
U.S. District Court, District of South Carolina, 2013
U.S. Court of Appeals, Fourth Circuit, 2016
U.S. District Court, District of South Carolina, 2013
U.S. Court of Appeals, Fourth Circuit, 2016
professional membership
South Carolina Bar Association
Professional Responsibility Committee (2017 – Present)
Judicial Qualifications Committee (2015 – Present)
Leadership Academy (2018)
Young Lawyers Division, Color of Justice Committee (2016-2017) - Committee Co-chair, 2016-17 Bar Year
Co-chair Spartanburg Color of Justice Program, 2016 & 2017
Awarded Star of the Quarter 2016-2017 Bar Year
South Carolina Trial Advocacy Incubator Program Participant (2013/2014)
Federal Bar Association
South Carolina Chapter, Civics Liaison, 2016-2017
American Bar Association
Young Lawyers Division, Content Editor 2015-2016 Bar Year
South Carolina Association for Justice
Richland County Bar Association
Professional Responsibility Committee (2017 – Present)
Judicial Qualifications Committee (2015 – Present)
Leadership Academy (2018)
Young Lawyers Division, Color of Justice Committee (2016-2017) - Committee Co-chair, 2016-17 Bar Year
Co-chair Spartanburg Color of Justice Program, 2016 & 2017
Awarded Star of the Quarter 2016-2017 Bar Year
South Carolina Trial Advocacy Incubator Program Participant (2013/2014)
Federal Bar Association
South Carolina Chapter, Civics Liaison, 2016-2017
American Bar Association
Young Lawyers Division, Content Editor 2015-2016 Bar Year
South Carolina Association for Justice
Richland County Bar Association
professional experience
- Assistant Attorney General in Consumer Protection & Antitrust Section, Office of the South Carolina Attorney General, 2015-2016
- Attorney, Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough LLP, 2012-2015
publications
- Contributing author to Chapter on Securities Laws, as included in 2017 supplement to South Carolina Damages
- Co-author, Key E-Discovery Considerations in Patent Litigation, Law360 (March 2014)
- Co-author, Do “Twiqbal” Standards Apply to a State Court Complaint That Has Been Removed to Federal Court?, IADC Newsletter (September 2013)
community involvement
- Central South Carolina Habitat for Humanity, Advisory Board Member
- Riverside Community Church, Member
