Judge Lee, a member of our community, is currently offering her services to our state as a candidate for the SC Court of Appeals.
Judge Alison Renee Lee was born in Washington, D. C. on September 17, 1958. Her parents are James Joseph Lee, deceased, and Juanita Bacote Lee, a retired schoolteacher.
After graduation from catholic schools in Washington, she attended Vassar College where she graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Science, Technology and Society, Urban Studies division. She received her law degree from Tulane University School of Law in New Orleans, Louisiana in 1982. At Tulane, she was a member of the National Appellate Moot Court Team and the Moot Court Board.
Upon graduation, she served as law clerk to the Honorable Israel M. Augustine, Jr. of the Louisiana Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals. She then moved to Columbia, South Carolina to clerk for the Honorable C. Tolbert Goolsby, Jr. of the South Carolina Court of Appeals.
In September 1984, she began employment at the McNair Law Firm practicing in the Litigation Section. She practiced commercial litigation and employment discrimination law for five years. During these five years, she was a member of the Richland County Department of Social Services Board; an Associate Commissioner of the Board of Grievances and Discipline of the South Carolina Bar; and a member of the Planning Committee of the United Way of the Midlands.
In December 1989 she was employed at the South Carolina Legislative Council drafting legislation for members of the General Assembly. Areas of specialization included transportation, criminal laws, corrections, and judiciary.
After government restructuring, she was one of the first Administrative Law Judges elected by the General Assembly to the Administrative Law Judge Division. She was elected in February 1994 to a one year term and took office on March 1, 1994. She was reelected to a five year term in 1995. In February 1999, she was elected by the General Assembly to the position of Circuit Court Judge, At Large.
She is a member of the Texas, Louisiana, and South Carolina Bars. Other professional memberships in South Carolina include the S.C. Women Lawyers Association and the Richland County Bar.
Judge Lee is active in a variety of civic and philanthropic endeavors. She is active in the Columbia Chapter of The Links, Inc. where she has served as several officers including President. She is also a member of the Columbia Chapter of Jack and Jill, Inc. where she has served as an officer. She is active in St. Peter’s Catholic Church, previously serving on the Parish Council and St. Peter’s Catholic School Board. Currently she is a Lector and an Extraordinary Minister of the Eucharist.