In 2021, Karla McLawhorn Hawkins, Esq., became the first to hold the position of General Counsel for Richland Two. As General Counsel, Mrs. Hawkins is responsible for providing legal services to the district’s Board of Trustees; serving as legal counsel to the superintendent; and providing legal opinions, interpretations, and guidance to the district's administration on issues pertaining to students, employment, and school-district operations.
Prior to joining Richland Two, Mrs. Hawkins worked at the South Carolina Department of Education where she served as Deputy State Superintendent for six years and Deputy General Counsel for seven years. She began her legal career in 1997 as an assistant public defender with the Richland County Public Defender’s Office. She has been a staff attorney for the South Carolina Senate Judiciary Committee and the South Carolina Department of Labor, Licensing & Regulation; and an associate for Duff, White and Boykin, L.L.C., and partner with Boykin, Davis and Hawkins, L.L.C. Mrs. Hawkins holds a Bachelor of Arts in English Education from South Carolina State University and a Juris Doctor from the University of South Carolina School of Law.
