Kierra is a senior associate in our Charleston office and enjoys a wide general liability practice which includes automobile liability and premises liability. She has represented individuals, restaurants, retail stores, hotel chains, as well as private property and small business owners. Kierra has demonstrated a commitment to litigating cases in a manner most beneficial to her clients whether it is through jury verdict, motions practice, or early settlement. Kierra was recently accepted into the National Retail and Restaurant Defense Association. The NRRDA fosters collaboration, education, and advocacy within the legal community, addressing the unique challenges faced by those representing businesses in the retail and restaurant industries.

Prior to joining Copeland, Stair, Valz & Lovell, Kierra practiced at a respected insurance defense and education law firm in Columbia, SC where she successfully resolved lawsuits through motions practice and mediation in the areas of general liability, appellate law, and employment law.  She also gained useful litigation experience as a law clerk for a private practice plaintiff’s firm and a legal services office.

Kierra graduated magna cum laude from Lander University and attended the Dickinson School of Law at Pennsylvania State University.  While at Penn State, she earned a CALI Award in Professional Responsibility and participated in various legal clinic programs.  She also joined the Mid-Atlantic Black Law Student Association’s Thurgood Marshall Moot Court Competition where she and her inaugural team placed as semi-finalists.  Kierra contributed as an author to the Penn Statim, where she discussed thought-provoking precedent of the Supreme Court of the United States.