About David Lee
David Lee Paavola built a career that moves between finance, public service and private practice. He earned a B.B.A. from Baylor University in 2002 and returned to school a few years later, completing his J.D. at the University of South Carolina School of Law in 2012. He is admitted to practice in South Carolina and before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit.
Paavola began his professional life in commercial banking. In 2003 he worked as a commercial loan portfolio manager and commercial credit analyst at Five Star Bank. He later served as a reporting analyst at 40|86 Advisors in 2006 and as a credit analyst for AgFirst Farm Credit Bank in 2008. Those early roles exposed him to underwriting, portfolio oversight and the financial side of commercial deals.
He enrolled at law school in 2009 and shifted into legal work after graduation. His first position following the J.D. was at Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough LLP in 2012, where he was part of a larger firm environment. He moved into public service in 2015 as an assistant lawyer general at the South Carolina Office of the Lawyer General. In that capacity he handled legal work for state entities and developed familiarity with government process and litigation involving public clients.
In 2016 Paavola became a partner at Lewis Babcock L.L.P., a role that expanded his courtroom and case management responsibilities. The partner position marked a return to private practice and a deeper engagement with civil litigation and client counseling. In 2023 he joined Kenison, Dudley & Crawford, LLC as of counsel, a position that allows him to draw on both his government-side experience and his private firm work.
Outside the office he has taken on leadership in the community. Since 2022 he has been board president of Central South Carolina Habitat for Humanity, a volunteer role that involves governance and local development efforts. His background in finance and law gives him a practical perspective on affordable housing issues and nonprofit governance.
Paavola's work spans transactional and litigation-related matters, informed by years in banking, regulatory and public-sector roles. He now serves of counsel at Kenison, Dudley & Crawford, LLC and handles civil litigation and government-related matters in his current practice.
