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by WILL FOLKS
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South Carolina attorney general Alan Wilson‘s office is losing a decorated criminal prosecutor, sources familiar with the situation have confirmed to FITSNews.
Assistant deputy attorney general Kinli Abee – who was honored last fall for her prosecutorial work – is leaving Wilson’s office for the Children’s Law Center at the University of South Carolina. Abee’s last day as a state prosecutor will be December 31, 2025.
Abee served as assistant solicitor in the office of S.C. seventh circuit solicitor Barry Barnette from December 2011 to June of 2013. She has worked for the past dozen years in Wilson’s office, most recently as a prosecutor in its special victims’ unit – which handles cases involving human trafficking, sexual assault, violence against women and child abuse.
A graduate of the Charlotte School of Law, Abee received her undergraduate degree from Wofford College – double-majoring in government and philosophy.
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We reported just days ago on a high-profile case in Lancaster County which was being handled by Abee and assistant attorney general Joel Kozak – a fellow prosecutor with whom she has frequently collaborated. FITSNews is also preparing extensive coverage of another high-profile case in Anderson County in which Abee and Kozak would have been working together under the direction of senior assistant deputy attorney general Heather Weiss.
Abee is among the higher-salaried attorneys in Wilson’s office, earning $122,024 annually (not counting benefits), per the state salary database maintained by the S.C. Department of Administration (SCDA). It is not immediately clear how much she will earn in her new role at the university, although her salary there will also be a matter of public record.
The Children’s Law Center is part of South Carolina’s Joseph F. Rice school of law. It is billed as a “training and resource center for professionals involved in child maltreatment or juvenile justice court proceedings and child advocates working to improve the safety and well-being of children.”
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR…
Will Folks is the founding editor of the news outlet you are currently reading. Prior to founding FITSNews, he served as press secretary to the governor of South Carolina. He lives in the Midlands region of the state with his wife and eight children.
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4 comments
What is the point of posting her salary? Are you trying to point out that it is low or high? 120k is possibly lower that what many successful attorneys with over 10 years experience make. Also consider she likely had 7+ years of education to become a lawyer before that that at a likely cost 1-2 hundred thousand.
I think he’s pointing out how low that is….given her track record performance for over 12 years, she would easily be a partner in a decent mid-sized firm, if not one of the big firms, making about 200k+ minimum, and more likely in the 285k range. First-year associates in most mid-sized firms in SC are getting paid about 90-100k, and about 135k in big firms – not counting any bonus. The AG’s Office is long overdue for a pay scale correction to be at least moderately competitive with the open market.
She’s provided tremendous service to this State and it’s a loss for the AG’s office, but she’ll surely make the Children’s Law Center a more valuable resource.
Way underpaid. Of course, that is big government according to Fits.