ERICA K. MCCREA
Associate Attorney
Erica McCrea is a South Carolina native and an associate attorney with the Gist Law Firm, P.A. Ms. McCrea is an active member of the South Carolina bar, and currently volunteers as a Co-Chair for the Young Lawyer’s Division Special Olympics Committee.
Ms. McCrea attended the Columbus School of Law at the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C., graduating cum laude in 2018. As a member of her school’s Law and Public Policy Program, Ms. McCrea also holds a Certificate of Specialization in Law and Public Policy. She is a recipient of the Dulin-Haynes Memorial Scholarship for Law and Public Policy as well as the Plato Papps Labor Law Fellowship.
During her law school career Ms. McCrea served as Vice President for the Catholic Lawyers Guild and a staff member of The Catholic University Law Review. As a Dean’s Academic Fellow, Ms. McCrea provided tutoring and support to other law school students. In recognition of her service to the school, Ms. McCrea received the Extra Mile Award. Ms. McCrea also competed in her school’s inaugural Labor and Employment Mock Trial team.
As a Papps Labor Law Fellow, Ms. McCrea interned with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s (EEOC) Washington Field Office, where she interviewed employees filing Charges of Discrimination and investigated open Charges based on a variety of claims, including race and gender under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, as amended, age under the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA), and disability under the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, as amended (ADA).
Her Commission experience inspired a love of employment and labor law, and ultimately her passion for the rights of employees. Ms. McCrea returned to the EEOC as a legal intern in the Office of Legal Counsel’s ADA Policy Division, where she assisted in researching emerging legal issues facing the rights of disabled employees, drafting policy documents, and responding to public comments concerning Commission guidance.
Ms. McCrea has also served as a legal intern for the American Bar Association’s Commission on Law and Aging. As an intern Ms. McCrea conducted a comprehensive research project entitled, “A Survey of Privacy Protections in Guardianship Statutes and Court Rules” published in the Commission’s journal, Bifocal.
To strengthen her skills and gain practical experience in a firm setting prior to graduation, Ms. McCrea worked as a Certified Student Attorney in the Low-Income Taxpayer Clinic through the Columbus School of Law’s Columbus Community Legal Services (CCLS). As a Certified Student Attorney, Ms. McCrea worked with members of the Washington, D.C. community to resolve their tax controversies, providing counsel regarding IRS procedures and taxpayer responsibilities.
Ms. McCrea received her B.A. in English from Charleston Southern University in 2015, where she graduated summa cum laude and received the Outstanding Student in English Award. Ms. McCrea served as Senior Editor for the university’s Sefer Literary Magazine, and is a member of the English Honors Society, Sigma Tau Delta.
Ms. McCrea currently lives in Columbia but enjoys visits to her family home in Kingstree to spend time with her sister and grandparents. When she does take a break from work, Ms. McCrea enjoys learning new recipes and baking for friends.