Attorney Selected for Leadership Columbia Class of 2017

COLUMBIA, SC (August 11, 2016) – Sheila Bias, an attorney at labor and employment firm Fisher Phillips, has been selected for the Leadership Columbia Class of 2017 by the Columbia Chamber of Commerce.

Leadership Columbia is a Columbia Chamber of Commerce program for emerging and existing leaders in the Midlands. The 59 individuals in the 2017 class will be the 44th graduating class since the program was founded in 1972.

Individuals in the class were chosen from combined application and interview scores, each marked by separate groups of Leadership Columbia alumni. The selection criteria included civic involvement, leadership potential, diversity of perspective and commitment to the leadership program and the community.

This group will engage in a 10-month curriculum, which includes multiple class sessions per month, a retreat, a class project and a variety of enrichment activities around the area. Since its inception, Leadership Columbia has graduated more than 1,900 alumni.

“Sheila continues to demonstrate her value to both our clients and the Columbia community through her work in and out of the office," said Stephen Mitchell, managing partner of the Columbia office. “We look forward to watching her continued success."

Bias represents employers in a variety of labor and employment matters. Previously, she practiced in a regional civil defense firm, representing employers in litigation and a variety of administrative proceedings. Bias has also worked as a staff attorney for the Supreme Court of South Carolina. Prior to attending law school, she was a member of store leadership for a Fortune 500 retail company, providing employee supervision and managing a variety of employee issues related to wage and hour, workers’ compensation, discrimination issues, performance management, and other personnel issues.

Bias is involved in various professional and community activities. She serves as a board member and secretary of the South Carolina Women Lawyers’ Association. She also serves on the Board of Directors for Columbia – Society for Human Resource Management and is a board member of the South Carolina Defense Trial Attorneys Association. Bias is active in the Richland County Bar, American Bar Association, and is a member of the Junior League of Columbia. She also is active in the South Carolina Bar Young Lawyers’ Division, serving as the statewide Chair of the Cinderella Project.