Deidre Smallwood

Deidre Smallwood

About

Deidre is an attorney in the firm’s Columbia office, where her practice focuses on insurance defense litigation. She primarily works with insurance companies to defend individuals in negligence cases ranging from motor vehicle accidents to dog bites. She is licensed to practice in the state and federal courts of South Carolina.

Upon admission to the South Carolina Bar, Deidre’s practice areas primarily focused on civil litigation and domestic litigation. In 2017, she began practicing at another insurance defense law firm in Columbia, where she practiced until joining Clawson & Staubes in 2021.

Deidre earned her Juris Doctor from the University of South Carolina School of Law, where she was an Articles Editor for the South Carolina Journal of International Law and Business. She attended Presbyterian College for her undergraduate degree, where she graduated magna cum laude with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and Economics, as well as minors in English and History.

Deidre is a member of the South Carolina Bar, the Richland County Bar Association, and the South Carolina Women Lawyers Association. She is also an active member of the Junior League of Columbia and serves on the Healthy Kids with Special Needs Committee.

Practice Areas

  • Litigation
  • Insurance Defense
  • Motor Vehicle Liability
  • Personal Injury
  • Wrongful Death
  • Insurance Coverage and Bad Faith

Bar Admissions

  • South Carolina
  • U.S. District Court for the District of South Carolina

Education

  • Presbyterian College, B.S., magna cum laude, 2011
  • University of South Carolina School of Law, J.D., 2014

Honors & Awards

  • South Carolina Journal of International Law and Business, Articles Editor
  • Phi Delta Phi Legal Honor Society

Professional Memberships

  • Richland County Bar Association
  • South Carolina Women Lawyers Association

Published Articles, CLEs, and Seminars

  • The Sex Selection Debate: A Comparative Study of Sex Selection Laws in the United States and the United Kingdom, South Carolina Journal of International Law and Business, October 2013