About Matt
Matt LaFave has practiced law in South Carolina since his admission to the Bar in 2006 following his graduation from Michigan State University College of Law. He has spent his entire career practicing as a civil litigator in Columbia, South Carolina and has devoted his practice to defense and mediation. Matt has represented both individual and corporate clients in almost every county in South Carolina. He has obtained jury verdicts favorable to his clients in a variety of tort cases in both South Carolina state courts as well as the United States Federal District Court.
Matt focuses the majority of his practice in insurance defense, corporate defense, premises liability, automobile insurance, coverage disputes, contract disputes, worker’s compensation defense, and products liability. Zealously advocating for his clients and guiding them through the legal process are the most gratifying parts of his practice. As a certified mediator, Matt’s knowledge of jury verdicts in all corners of South Carolina as well as his knowledge of the worker’s compensation system is well suited for alternative dispute resolution in either context. Let Matt put his civil litigation and worker’s compensation experience to work as your next mediator.
- South Carolina Bar, 2006
- United States District Court, District Court of South Carolina 2008
- Michigan State University School of Law, J.D., 2006
- Michigan State University, B.A. 2000
- Claims Litigation Management Member 2014-Present
- National Retail and Restaurant Defense Association Member 2014-Present
- Co-Chair Workers’ Compensation Committee, National Retail and Restaurant Defense Association 2017-2022
- South Carolina Supreme Court, Certified Circuit Court Mediator – 2013
- Martindale-Hubble® Peer Review Rating™ AV® Preeminent™
- 2016, 2018 Columbia Business Magazine® Legal Elite of the Midlands
- Certified Litigation Management Professional 2017
- 2013: Defense Verdict obtained in Jasper County on behalf of a restaurant accused of failing to properly maintain an entrance door resulting in alleged bodily injury.
- 2013: Defense Verdict obtained in Federal District Court on behalf of business accused of defamation and tortious interference with a contract.
- 2015: Defense verdict obtained in Barnwell County on behalf of a grocery store accused of defamation and false imprisonment.
- 2016: Defense verdict obtained in Horry County on behalf of a grocery store accused of negligence when a customer struck another customer with a motorized shopping cart.
- 2021: Defense verdict obtained in Orangeburg County on behalf of a driver involved in a motor vehicle accident.
- 2022: Defense verdict obtained in Calhoun County on behalf of a driver involved in a motor vehicle accident.
- 2022: Defense verdict obtained in Richland County on behalf of a food manufacturer sued for alleged food poisoning.
- 2023: Defense verdict obtained in Richland County on behalf of a driver involved in a motor vehicle accident.