Gayla S. L. McSwain currently serves on the City of Goose Creek's Planning Commission and on its Comprehensive Plan Steering Committee. She is a Member, Board of Directors, of the Charleston Regional Development Alliance and a graduate of the Diversity Learship Academy.
PROFESSIONAL AND COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT
• Member, Board of Directors - Charleston Regional Development Alliance
• Member, City of Goose Creek's Planning Commission
• Member, City of Goose Creek's Comprehensive Plan Steering Committee
• Graduate, Diversity Leadership Academy
• Graduate, Berkeley County Leadership Course
• Member, Charleston South Carolina and American Bar Associations
• Member, South Carolina Women Lawyers Association
• Member, Association of Trial Lawyers of America
• Member, South Carolina Council for Conflict Resolution
• Past Editor, South Carolina Bar Magazine: "The South Carolina Lawyer"
• Past Member , Board of Directors - Crowfield Plantation Community Services Association
• Past Member, Trident United Way Board of Directors
AWARDS, RECOGNITION, AND PUBLICATIONS
• “The Legal Status of Women: An Analysis of the NOW Report and Comparison of Laws in
South Carolina to Laws in Other States” published by the SC Commission on Women (portions
of which were published on National Public Radio.)
• Featured in the “South Carolina Lawyers Weekly” in July 2007 due to her establishing a new
law, on behalf of the estate of an underaged client, in the area of social host liability under alcohol consumption laws.
This was selected as the No. 1 most important opinion issued by the South Carolina Supreme
Court in 2007.
• Speaker at numerous events and seminars including South Carolina State Bar continuing legal
education classes, presenting “Objections at Trial and How to Deal with the Difficult Lawyer”
and “Evidence Tactics That Win Cases.”
• Various military awards, ribbons, medals including parachutist badge.
"...an outstanding individual of the highest character and integrity."
- the late Robert E. McNair, former Governor of South Carolina
"Her integrity and candor cannot be questioned. She has always been very open minded, courteous, compassionate without bias or prejudice, but yet firm and decisive in her opinions."
- Risk Management Director, Piggly Wiggly
"Her ability to effectively balance work, family, and community responsibility make her a role model for other professional women."
- President, Trident Technical College
REPRESENTATIVE ENGAGEMENTS
• Prosecuted wrongful death action which established new law: first party minor can sue adult social host for giving minor alcoholic drink which results in personal injury or death of minor
• Prosecuted, tried, defended, and settled numerous personal injury cases
• Defended real estate developer; judge directed verdict - $1.00 state jury verdict; sued developer's insurance company for bad faith - developer reimbursed for all legal fees and costs
• Defense of international business client; federal jury verdict for $550,000 but federal judge vacated it on post trial motion; sued client's insurance company and got half of client’s legal fees and costs reimbursed
• Defended and prosecuted hundreds of workers' compensation cases
• Defended hundreds of premises liability cases
• Prosecuted breach of commercial lease; state jury verdict of $465,000; judge awarded client over $200,000 in legal fees and costs
• Cross claimed against co-defendant for equitable indemnification in premises liability case; judge awarded client 75% of its legal fees and costs for defending against Plaintiff’s lawsuit and prosecuting indemnification cross claim
• Prosecuted and defended against employment claims for retaliation, Title VII; ADA, FMLA
• Defense of ERISA case - client reimbursed for legal fees and costs
• Certified Mediator for all state and federal court cases.
About Gayla S. L. McSwain
I am deeply involved in the community because I believe that an excellent public education and public services provide the opportunities our children require for a better life and because I believe that such opportunity must be afforded to all children equally. 
I grew up in a family that was very poor financially but very rich in other ways. My mom made sure that we five children knew that school was the way out of poverty. Upon graduating from a public high school in upstate South Carolina, I received a scholarship from the cotton mill where my mom worked third shift along with a tuition grant from the state of South Carolina. That money allowed me to graduate magna cum laude from Presbyterian College in 1982. On that same day, I was commissioned a 2nd Lieutenant in the U.S. Army.
After serving four years on active duty as a PATRIOT missile officer (and jumping out of perfectly good airplanes; don’t worry, I am a little bit smarter now that I’m middle aged), I went to law school. I was a shareholder in the McNair Law Firm where I practiced law for almost twenty years. I am semi-retired and now consult on legal cases, serve, as a mediator, and only actively take on cases that I believe will have a positive impact on the public, common good.
EDUCATION
Presbyterian College, SC - B.S., magna cum laude, 1982
University of South Carolina Law School, SC - J.D., 1989
