the fine print* SCHOOL OF LAW / UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH CAROLINA / FALL 2013
Contents
FALL 2013 School of Law Dean / Robert M. Wilcox Director of Communications / Rob Schaller Senior Director of Development and Alumni Relations / Michelle Thaxton Hardy Law Communications Office 701 Main Street, Suite 202 Columbia, SC 29208 Phone: 803-777-5611 Email: rschaller@sc.edu Contributing writers: Larry Di Giovanni, Marcie Nelson the fine print* is the alumni magazine for the University of South Carolina School of Law. Because every good lawyer should read the fine print. Stay connected: University Home Page: sc.edu School of Law Home Page: law.sc.edu School of Law Alumni and Development: giving.sc.edu/law Facebook: facebook.com/UofSCLaw Twitter: twitter.com/UofSCLaw LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/UofSCLaw Instagram: instagram.com/UofSCLaw Flickr: flickr.com/UofSCLaw University Magazine Group / University Creative Services Editor / Chris Horn Magazine Designer / Michelle Hindle Riley Proofing Editor / Carolyn Parks Photographer / Kim Truett
The University of South Carolina does not discriminate in educational or employment opportunities or decisions for qualified persons on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, genetics, age, disability, sexual orientation, or veteran status. The University of South Carolina has designated as the ADA Title II, Section 504 and Title IX coordinator the Executive Assistant to the President for Equal Opportunity Programs. The Office of the Executive Assistant to the President for Equal Opportunity Programs is located at 1600 Hampton Street, Suite 805, Columbia, SC; telephone 803-777-3854. UCS13234 10/13
In this issue 4/Around the world in weighty ways USC Law scholars are honing their knowledge and sharing their expertise in Europe, Asia and beyond.
5/ Alumni answer the call USC Law students team with alumni to assist military veterans in “Project Salute.”
6 /Advocating for South Carolina’s most vulnerable
USC Law launches a children’s law certificate program this fall.
8 /USC Law advantage
Class of 2012 graduates have reaped the benefits of USC Law’s ramped-up career services programs.
11 / Q&A with Elizabeth Chambliss
Thoughts on the future of legal education from the new director of the Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough Center on Professionalism.
12/The most meaningful honor Brooke Mosteller treasures her scholarship named in memory of a fellow law student who lost his battle with cancer last year.
13/ Alumni news Professional and personal achievements of USC Law graduates.
O
ver the past couple of years, USC Law has reached new heights, while beginning to
change the way legal education is provided in South Carolina.
We have been fortunate to have university support, which has
allowed us to replenish our teaching staff with 10 new professors and faculty librarians, including Elizabeth Chambliss, whom you will meet in this issue. New academic support opportunities have been developed, including Kick Start, which acclimates 1Ls to law school a week before orientation. Kick Start is one aspect of a growing Academic Success and Bar Preparation program, which supports students during all three years. We are rapidly increasing our externships, replenishing our clinics, and creating new capstone courses to provide real and simulated practice experiences for 3Ls. Plus, the first class to benefit from our enhanced legal research and writing curriculum graduates this May. And there is more to come. An environmental law laboratory
ROBERT M. WILCOX, DEAN
COMMITTED TO EXCELLENCE
course taught at the Baruch Institute this spring, and a new Children’s Law Certificate — described in the pages that follow — will benefit two of our state’s most precious gifts: our magnificent coastline and our youngest residents. Our commitment to volunteer service remains unwavering, and you will read about just a few of our many students who provide extraordinary assistance to those who need better access to the legal system. You will also learn some good news about jobs for USC Law graduates, who are being hired at a rate well above the national average. For students to graduate with manageable debt loads, we need to continue increasing scholarship support. I know you will be touched as we all were by Brooke Mosteller’s recollections of her classmate Joe McNulty, in whose memory one of our most recent scholarships was awarded. I hope you will agree that it pays to read the fine print*!
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AROUND THE WORLD IN WEIGHTY WAYS USC SCHOOL OF LAW FACULTY ARE PURSUING THEIR LEGAL STUDIES AROUND THE GLOBE AND BRINGING THEIR STUDENTS AN INTERNATIONAL PERSPECTIVE ON IMPORTANT ISSUES.
Associate Professor David Linnan has
Associate Professor Joel Samuels
been named a senior associate of the Uni-
recently visited Cambodia as part of
versity of Melbourne Law School’s Centre
an ABA delegation focused on helping
for Indonesian Law, Islam and Society.
rebuild that country’s judicial system.
Professor Josh Eagle recently returned
Professor Martin McWilliams celebrated the
from Queen’s University Marine Laboratory
10th anniversary of the London Maymester
in Portaferry, Northern Ireland, where
program in 2013 with another crop of USC
he worked on a variety of policy-driven
Law students attending classes at Gray’s Inn.
marine and coastal research projects as
McWilliams was also honored to be one of
a Fulbright Scholar.
fewer than 30 — and the only non-Englishman — to be named a Fellow of Gray’s Inn.
Associate Dean Duncan Alford travelled to Shenzhen and Shanghai, China, consult-
Associate Professor Thomas Crocker,
ing with the Peking University School of
named a 2013 Breakthrough Star by the
Transnational Law on the development of
USC Office of Research, spent the summer
their law library. Additionally, Alford was
as a fellow at the Institute of Advanced
appointed a visiting scholar at the American
Studies in the Humanities at the University
Academy in Rome, where he conducted
of Edinburgh, where he worked on a book
research on two Renaissance bankers using
to be published by Yale University Press.
the Vatican archives and other libraries.
4 / S C H O O L O F L AW
S ECO N D CHAN CES
Law student develops guide to criminal record expungement Redeeming oneself in the eyes of South Carolina’s judicial system can be extremely difficult, especially if one strays off the straight and narrow. But for citizens who are trying to turn their lives around, dedicated professionals like 2L Chelsea Clark are working hard to help them deal with their legal issues. As a S.C. Bar Foundation Public Interest Fellow, she’s been working on a guide to criminal record expungement. Clark began this past summer spending two weeks in the Judicial Observation and Experience Program, auditing family court and gaining perspective on the court’s responsibility for legal offenders. Following that experience, Pam Robinson, pro bono director at the law school, encouraged Clark to pursue a placement with the S.C. Center for Fathers and Families. The center has seen a need amongst participants in its various programs to better understand how criminal records work. For some with minor offenses, pursuing expungement or a pardon is an option that few knew how to navigate. Gale DuBose, Clark’s direct supervisor at the center, is thrilled with Clark’s work on the expungement guide and the overwhelmingly positive response it has received. “Chelsea did an amazing job, and we loved having her this summer. We expect great things from her in the future,” DuBose said. “There were so many people helping me figure out the best path and combining public service law and criminal law was such a natural choice. It was serendipitous,” Clark said. Serendipity might have played a role in Clark’s placement with Fathers and Families, but it’s her drive to succeed and her empathy for those who need a second chance that will take her far. “At the court house you hear the perspective of the judges, the deputies and prosecution teams, but there is also a flip side: the non-profits and people who are trying to change the system to better benefit the individual. I can now see both sides, and if you do not respect the system, you will have a hard time changing it,” Clark said. With one year left at the School of Law, Clark intends to keep making a difference in South Carolina. “Practicing law is unique in that what happens now sets a precedent for our freedoms and future rights,” Clark said. “Working at the center has opened my eyes and made me aware of the practicalities of South Carolina state law.” Learn more about the guide at www.scfathersandfamilies.com/ resources/criminal_records_expungement_and_pardon_guides
ALUMNI ANSWER THE CALL When 3L Phillips McWilliams and 2L John Wall learned about “Project Salute,” a service project aimed at helping military veterans with legal questions, they knew they had to bring it to South Carolina. Both served in the military and are active in the USC Law chapter of Service Members and Veterans in Law (SVL), a group that addresses the welfare of military personnel and veterans. But as students, McWilliams and Wall knew they couldn’t do it alone. So they reached out to Class of 2009 alumni Will Harter and Walt Cartin for help. As veterans themselves, Harter and Cartin jumped at the opportunity. Cartin convinced the Richland County Bar Association’s Young Lawyers Division to sponsor the program, while Harter took the lead in launching it and rounding up a team of volunteer lawyers — all of whom had served in the military and graduated from USC Law. With the law school hosting and SVL members assisting, the first “Project Salute” was launched in August, helping S.C. veterans file or appeal their benefits claims. “It’s one of the best things I’ve done. Not only are we able to make a difference in the lives of these vets, but we’ve also created this valuable network with alumni who have similar interests and are so willing to help students out,” McWilliams said.
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most vulnerable
Advocating for S.C.’s
NEW CHILDREN’S LAW CERTIFICATE BEGINS FALL 2013
6 / S C HO O L O F L AW
It’s a universal truth that all children need a helping hand. But according to the annual Kids Count survey from the Annie E. Casey Foundation, South Carolina’s children might need more than most. The latest study, released in June, shows that the Palmetto State slipped two spots since last year, and is now 45th in the nation when it comes to ranking a child’s ability to succeed. In fact, South Carolina has been no higher than No. 42 in the past 13 years. A new program at the School of Law aims to change that and make a positive impact on the welfare of South Carolina’s children and families. This fall, the law school plans to unveil its Children’s Law Certificate program, which will increase the number of attorneys trained to be advocates for the state’s most vulnerable. “In a perfect world, children would never have to see the inside of a courtroom,” said Danielle Holley-Walker, associate dean of academic affairs. “But it happens all too frequently, and almost any case involving family members can be so much more complex because of the emotions involved. “We believe that, through this program, our graduates will be well prepared to handle these important cases and fight for the best possible outcome for each child.”
Beginning in their second year, students in the program will take a minimum of four classes that range in subject matter from family law to child protection and education law. Along with writing a scholarly research paper, students will participate in either a clinic, externship or a capstone course designed to give them real-world practice. Students in the program will also have faculty advisers, specialized career counseling and the opportunity to attend a speakers series featuring nationally recognized attorneys. “This certificate is something that we’ve been working towards for a while now, and when coupled with our affiliation to the Children’s Law Center, we know we are well-positioned to become a national leader among law schools in this specialty,” Holley-Walker said. “But more importantly, we’ll be making a difference for the children in our state.” Affiliated faculty: Derek Black, Josie Brown, Josh GuptaKagan, Danielle Holley-Walker, Candice Lively, Eboni Nelson, Elizabeth Patterson, Anne Marie Ugarte, Marcia Zug Available courses: Advanced Family Law; Child Protection Advocacy Clinic; Children and the Courts; Children’s Law Externship; Constitutional Issues in Public Education; Education Law and Policy; Family Law; Juvenile Justice; Juvenile Justice Clinic; Parents, Children and the Law; Poverty Law and Policy; and Race, Class and Education
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8 / S C HO O L O F L AW
USC Law advantage
Thanks to the law school’s ramped-up career services programs, USC Law’s Class of 2012 graduates are finding jobs faster than their peers around the country. In a time when job prospects are foremost on the minds of law students, the University of South Carolina School of Law’s 2012 graduates have beaten the national employment average by double digits. Seventy percent of USC Law grads found full-time, long-term employment requiring bar passage within nine months after graduation — 15 points higher than the national average of 55 percent, according to figures from the American Bar Association.* Put another way, when positions provided by law schools for their own students are excluded, USC Law had the 26th-highest percentage in the nation of graduates employed in the most important category of employment. The positive numbers are borne out under other models, according to “Law Jobs: By the Numbers,” an interactive web-based tool, and an initiative of the Institute for the Advancement of the American Legal System at the University of Denver (available at http://bit.ly/lawjobsbythenumbers). “Law Jobs: By the Numbers” allows prospective applicants to calculate and compare employment rates for every law school using formulas commonly applied by organizations such as U.S. News & World Report, Law School Transparency (LST), National Jurist, and the National Association for Law Placement (NALP). Additionally, users can create their own formulas, based on their own priorities.
U NI V E RS I T Y O F S O U T H C A R O LIN A
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In each model, USC Law outperformed the national average and under three of the four models, the difference was in double digits:** U.S. News and World Report: National rate: 65.7 percent USC Law rate: 76.1 percent
26
th
Our national
ranking for the number of 2012 grads employed in permanent full-time jobs as lawyers nine-months after graduation.
11
The number of spots we jumped in the latest U.S. News & World Report rankings, bringing us to #98.
7
th
Our national ranking for the number of 2012 grads who received clerkships with state judges.
10 / S CHO O L O F L AW
LST: National rate: 54.2 percent USC Law rate: 69.5 percent National Jurist: National rate: 71.0 percent USC Law rate: 82.1 percent NALP: National rate: 84.3 percent USC Law rate: 89.5 percent
makes it easy to hire USC Law • panel discussions sponsored by students and alumni through its the American Bar Association’s job-posting, resume-forwarding Section of Labor and Employand on- and off-campus interview ment programs. “While we’ve always of- • Small Firm Day, allowing stufered these services, in this tough dents to meet with lawyers and job market we knew we had to learn what it’s like to practice be very proactive in reaching out at a firm with fewer than 10 to potential employers and saying, attorneys. ‘This is how we can help you,’” said Kunkle. “It makes their lives easier, Other programs focus on how stuand it really benefits our students.” dents can get their foot in the door, While Kunkle works with from workshops on writing cover law firms, government agencies, letters and building their resumes and corporations, Visser visits to tips on using social media to and works with federal and state find jobs and make connections. judges to ascertain their specific “We’re really pleased with the hiring criteria and timetables. By progress we’ve made, but we’re doing so, she can help students still working hard to help those and recent graduates identify and graduates who are still looking for attain state and federal clerkships. that good opportunity,” said PhylAdditionally, a federal judge lis Burkhard, director of Career and a state appellate judge now Services. “One of the things we visit the law school each fall to always try to emphasize, especially meet with students and tell them to our alumni, is that just because the precise qualifications and you’ve graduated doesn’t mean characteristics they are looking that we can’t still help you. Give for. And in the spring, graduates us a call, and we’ll be happy to who have clerked come back to work with you.” give current students first-hand accounts of their experiences and *2012 Employment data derived by taking the total number of gradushare their tips for success. ates employed in full-time, long-term Career Services has also positions requiring a J.D., subtracting all positions funded by their own increased the number of network- law school, and dividing by the total number of graduates. Employment ing and professional development data came from the ABA’s employment programs, offering plentiful summary page: http://employmentsummary.abaquestionnaire.org/. Formula opportunities to meet potential derived from Dan Filler’s Faculty Lounge blog post, http://bit.ly/facultyemployers, such as: loungelawschoolrankings. • breakfasts where students meet **NALP takes into account all job types, with lawyers to learn about their including those falling into “Other Professional” and “Non-Professional” catareas of practice
“No matter how you slice it, we’re very proud of these employment numbers, which reflect the high caliber of our students and the excellence of our academic programs,” said Rob Wilcox, dean of the law school. “But we’re also proud that our plan to increase job opportunities through the expansion of our Career Services office is bearing fruit.” That plan included the hiring of two associate directors, Jill Kunkle and Yvonne Visser. In addition to counseling and student programming, both have developed new programs and sought out new employment avenues for graduates, including increased outreach to potential employers. Kunkle visits with law firms • speed-networking events offered across South Carolina and the by the Association of Corporate Southeast, sharing how the school Counsel
egories, as well as part-time and shortterm positions. The other three have a narrower focus, looking at full-time, long-term jobs where bar passage is required or a J.D. is an advantage.
Q
QA &
with
Elizabeth Chambliss
Read the full interview at www.law.sc.edu/thefineprint/fall2013/chambliss
Elizabeth Chambliss joined the School of Law this sum-
be lawyers’ work. In corporate markets we see the
mer to teach courses on legal ethics and the changing
emergence of legal process outsourcing, much as we
legal services market. Chambliss is also the new director
saw business process outsourcing before it. In consumer
of the school’s Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough Center
markets, we see increasing competition from self-help
on Professionalism. She previously was research director
legal software, automated document assembly services
for the Program on the Legal Profession at Harvard Law
and smart-phone apps. I know a lot of smart former law-
School and taught for 10 years at New York Law School.
yers who are designing software to promote new forms
Her scholarship focuses on the future of legal education.
of public engagement with and access to legal services.
Q: How is legal education changing and what will it look
Q: As its new director, what plans do you have for the
like in 10 years?
NMRS Center on Professionalism?
A: I would expect to see more specialization among law
A: The Nelson Mullins Center has been a leader in
schools, hopefully along functional or substantive versus
developing mentoring programs for lawyers and law
simply status lines. But this will take proactive, public-
students, and has well-established ties with the bar and
spirited efforts by the profession. Currently, there is too
other law schools. My goal is to build on the center’s
much of a dog-eat-dog atmosphere among law schools
national reputation in this area and expand its mission to
and too much focus on the economic returns of law
include leadership training, research on the profession
school for lawyers. The profession needs to focus instead
and public-facing educational programs for S.C. lawyers
on the value of law school training for clients and look for
and consumers. I also want to make the center a hub for
new ways to deliver quality legal services at a lower cost.
entrepreneurial and interdisciplinary projects and a place where students with an entrepreneurial bent can col-
Q: What trends do you see in the legal profession?
laborate on ideas for legal start-ups. Eventually, we hope
A: Like other “knowledge” industries, legal services is
to bring experienced practitioners and scholars here to
being disrupted by information technology, which makes
collaborate on projects aimed at improving the delivery
it easier to separate and automate parts of what used to
of legal services in specific fields.
U NI V E RS I T Y O F S O U T H C A R O LIN A
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The most meaningful honor Law student treasures scholarship named in memory of classmate Brooke Mosteller has basked in the glamour of being named Miss Mount Pleasant and Miss South Carolina in 2013, but she says a scholarship from the School of Law is among her most treasured honors. During the annual Awards Day ceremony in April, Mosteller was awarded the inaugural Joe McNulty Memorial Scholarship, established to memorialize a fellow first-year classmate who fought valiantly against throat cancer before it took his life late in 2012. “It is really one of the most meaningful things I have ever received, purely based on the character traits of Joe himself,” Mosteller said. “Though the cancer had spread throughout his body and Joe was in pain from hardly being able to swallow food, he took our first-year written exam on his hospital bed a week before he died. “He handled his whole situation without bitterness. It was inspirational and meaningful to all of us at the law school, students and faculty alike.” Mosteller and McNulty had become close friends their first semester and shared a passion to use legal knowledge in the service of others. They also shared a strong Christian faith. When McNulty’s cancer returned, Mosteller said one of the most meaningful biblical passages he mentioned was from Romans 5:5-7, which speaks to “glory from God for all your sufferings.” During the spring 2013 semester, Mosteller and classmate Joe Kornegay organized a Relay for Life team in McNulty’s
12 / S C HO O L O F L AW
memory, raising more than $1,500 for the American Cancer Society. She said it was the best way to pay tribute to his memory and his belief that any act that helped others was the best possible thing you could do with your own time. “Another way of expressing that comes from Ephesians 5:16, which is ‘to make the most of the time God has blessed you with,’” she said, adding, “I take that kind of literally.” Creation of new scholarships like the Joe McNulty Memorial Scholarship — and enhancement of existing scholarships — is a key component of USC’s $1 billion Carolina’s Promise campaign. Such scholarships make it possible for many students to pursue a law degree at USC, and conversely, for USC Law to attract the best and brightest to its program. “Scholarships are so important in law school because you have the debt of the undergraduate education you just completed,” Mosteller said. “I know scholarships offered were the decision-turner for many students.” Interested in creating an endowed scholarship? Contact Michelle Thaxton Hardy, ’00 law, senior director of development and alumni relations at the School of Law, at 803-777-3047 or hardymt@law.sc.edu. Brooke Mosteller wasn’t the only USC Law student in this year’s Miss South Carolina pageant. DONNA TILLIS, a 3L and editor-in-chief of the ABA Real Property, Trust and Probate Journal, was also in the contest. Her platform was the S.C. Guardian Ad Litem program, for which she has volunteered during her time at USC Law.
alumni news OCTOBER 2012 – SEPTEMBER 2013
1959 William W. “Bill” Doar Jr. , McNair Law Firm
PA, received the 2013 USC Law Compleat Lawyer Platinum Award in April.
1960 Harold W. Jacobs ,
Nexsen Pruet LLC, received the S.C. Bar Foundation’s 2012 DuRant Distinguished Public Service Award in January for meritorious service to the law and community.
1968 The Honorable Costa M. Pleicones, an as-
sociate justice on the S.C. Supreme Court, joined the Wofford College Board of Trustees in August.
1971 William B. “Bill” Woods joined Rich-
ardson, Plowden & Robinson PA as special counsel in May.
1972 The Honorable William Robert Byars Jr. retired as
the director of the S.C. Department of Corrections in September.
1973 Chief Judge William B. Traxler Jr. (4th circuit)
was appointed by U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice John G. Rob-
erts Jr. to be chairman of the Executive Committee of the Judicial Conference of the United States in February.
They are now a part of Ervin Broadcasting LLC.
1976
Pruet LLC, was reelected to a second term as chair of the Columbia World Affairs Council in February.
Lt. Col. Jerry W. Peace
(ret.) was selected to be a federal administrative law judge in September 2013.
1977 William C. Hubbard ,
Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough LLP, was officially selected as president-elect of the American Bar Association during the organization’s annual meeting in San Francisco in August. He will serve a oneyear term before taking office as president of the association in August 2014. Alice F. Paylor, Rosen
Hagood, was installed as the 2013-14 president of the S.C. Bar in May. Steven W. Hamm ,
Richardson, Plowden & Robinson PA, received the 2013 USC Law Compleat Lawyer Platinum Award in April. Tom Ervin acquired
three Anderson, S.C.-based radio stations (WRIX 103.1 FM, WANS-AM and WRIX-AM) in August.
1978 Bob Coble, Nexsen
Kathleen C. “Kathy” McKinney, Hayn-
sworth Sinkler Boyd PA, received the 2013 USC Law Compleat Lawyer Platinum Award in April.
1981 Beverly A. Carroll, Hamilton Martens Ballou & Carroll, was
named president of the S.C. Bar Foundation in August.
1986 Col. Tara Abbey Osborn , a chief judge
for the Army’s 2nd Judicial Circuit, presided as judge in the August trial of Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan, the former Army psychiatrist charged with killing 13 people and wounding 32 in a shooting rampage at Fort Hood in Texas.
1987 Cal Watson , Sowell
Gray Stepp & Laffitte LLC, was sworn in as 2013-14 presidentelect of the S.C. Bar in May.
Kurt Taylor was
appointed county manager representing the International City/ County Management Association to the Commission on Fire Accreditation International by the Center for Public Safety Excellence Board of Directors in August. Sherri A. Lydon , Lydon
1990 Stacey D. Haynes ,
an assistant U.S. attorney, was awarded the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s 2012 Director’s Award for Community Leadership last December.
1992 Boyd B. “Nick” Nicholson Jr. was
Law Firm, received the 2013 USC Law Compleat Lawyer Gold Award in April.
elected managing director of Haynsworth Sinkler Boyd PA in August.
Cherie W. Blackburn ,
Cynthia Durham Blair,
Nexsen Pruet LLC, received the 2013 USC Law Compleat Lawyer Gold Award in April.
1988 Jim Myrick , Womble
Carlyle Sandridge Rice LLP, was appointed to the American Bar Association’s Tort Trial & Insurance Practice Section in August.
1989 S. Nelson Weston Jr.,
Richardson, Plowden & Robinson PA, coauthored the white paper, “South Carolina Debt Collection Law: Smiling Faces. Beautiful Places,” which was published by the National List in April.
Rogers Townsend & Thomas PC, received the 2013 USC Law Compleat Lawyer Gold Award in April.
1993 Brian Lemon joined
Smith Moore Leatherwood LLP as an attorney of counsel in November.
1995 David Wyatt , Gleaton
Wyatt & Hewitt and an adjunct faculty member of USC Law, was appointed to the Foundation Board for the John de la Howe School in July. Joseph Clark , an
adjunct faculty member at USC Law, joined the management committee of Haynsworth Sinkler Boyd PA in August.
U NI V E RS I T Y O F S O U T H C A R O LIN A
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1996
2000
Joseph McCue, Collins
James H. “Jeddie” Suddeth III joined the
and Lacy, joined the board of directors of Crossover Communications International, a global churchplanting organization, in February. Kelli L. Sullivan was
named a partner at McKay, Cauthen, Settana & Stubley PA in August.
1997 James H. Elliott Jr.
joined Richardson Plowden & Robinson PA in November. Thomas P. “Tom” Gressette Jr. , Pratt-
Thomas Walker PA, received the 2013 USC Law Compleat Lawyer Silver Award in April.
1998 G.P. Diminich , Smith
Moore Leatherwood LLP, was named as one of The Charleston Regional Business Journal’s “40 Leaders Under Forty” in March. Brett Kline was
appointed underwriting counsel for the Carolinas by the Stewart Title Guaranty Company in July.
1999 Marlon E. Kimpson ,
Motley Rice LLC, traveled to Israel in February to attend the American Israel Education Foundation Educational Seminar for African American Leaders. Teresa Wilson was
promoted from assistant city manager to city manager for the City of Columbia in January.
14 / S CHO O L O F L AW
management committee of Haynsworth Sinkler Boyd PA in August. Adam S. Tesh , Rich-
ardson, Plowden & Robinson PA, coauthored the white paper, “South Carolina Debt Collection Law: Smiling Faces. Beautiful Places,” which was published by the National List in April. Amy L.B. Hill, Sowell
Gray Stepp & Laffitte LLC, received the 2013 USC Law Compleat Lawyer Silver Award in April.
2001 Bright Ariail, Rosen
Hagood, is a principal editor and contributing author of the S.C. Construction Law Desk Book, which was published in February by the S.C. Bar’s CLE Division. Chad Burgess , associ-
ate general counsel at SCANA, became a member of Leadership South Carolina’s Class of 2014 in September. T. Paul Timmerman
joined Hull Barrett PC as an associate in August. Helen Walker Tolar
was named the Chief of Staff to U.S. Senator John Boozman (Ark.) in September.
2002 Sidney J. Evering II ,
special counsel and Parker Poe Adams and Bernstein LLP’s director of diversity, has received the Jonathan Jasper
Wright Award, given by the Black Law Students Association at USC’s School of Law in March. He was also selected to The State’s 2013 “20 Under 40” list of young Midlands professionals in February. Joshua Williams was
named a partner at Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld in January. U.S. Air Force Major Scott W. Medlyn re-
ceived the 2013 USC Law Compleat Lawyer Silver Award in April.
2003 Lakesha Jeffries , Jef-
fries Law Firm, was appointed to the S.C. Independent Colleges and Universities board of trustees in October. Ginny Waller, execu-
tive director of Sexual Trauma Services of the Midlands, received the 2013 Award for Nonprofit Leadership from Francis Marion University and the S.C. Association of Nonprofit Organizations in March. Jennifer Olmert joined
Lawrence, Lonon & Rudasill Law and Mediation Center as of counsel handling real estate transactions in July. State Senator Thomas McElveen became a
member of Leadership South Carolina’s Class of 2014 in September.
2004 William R. Padget
became a partner of the Finkel Law Firm in December.
Shelton W. Haile,
T. Foster Haselden
Richardson Plowden & Robinson PA, was elected to the Palmetto Health Children’s Hospital Board in August.
joined Smith Moore Leatherwood LLP as an associate in the Labor and Employment and Ltigation Practice Groups in October.
L. Cody Smith joined
Rogers Lewis Jackson Mann & Quinn LLC as a member in September. Drew B. Walker joined
Rogers Lewis Jackson Mann & Quinn LLC as a member in September.
2005 Meliah Bowers Jefferson rejoined
Wyche in May after serving as law clerk to the Honorable J. Michelle Childs, United States District Judge.
William R. “Will” Johnson , Haynsworth
Sinkler Boyd PA, was named president of the S.C. Bar Young Lawyers Division and chair of the Leadership Columbia Alumni Association in July.
2006 David M. Bornemann ,
McKay, Cauthen, Settana & Stubley PA, was appointed to the Cayce Municipal Election Commission in July. Aisha Taylor, Collins
Jason Scott Luck ,
Seibels Law Firm PA, received the S.C. Bar’s 2013 Pro Bono Award in March for his contributions to meeting the civil legal needs of citizens who cannot afford the services of an attorney. Charles J. Webb was
named a shareholder with Richardson, Plowden & Robinson PA in January. Emily R. Gifford ,
Richardson, Plowden & Robinson PA, was selected to the 2013 Class of the S.C. Bar Leadership Academy in January. Jonathan P. “JP” Lee was named a
shareholder of Ellis, Lawhorne & Sims PA in December.
& Lacy, was appointed by Governor Nikki Haley to the S.C. Workers’ Compensation Commission in December.
2007 Michelle P. Kelley,
Richardson, Plowden & Robinson PA, was selected to the 2013 Class of the S.C. Bar Leadership Academy in January. Lisa M. Hostetler
was elected a firm shareholder of Rogers Townsend & Thomas PC in February.
2008 Jessica Christophillis and Amanda Gallivan
opened Christophillis & Gallivan PA in Greenville in March. The boutique law firm focuses primarily on family law, estate planning, criminal defense and litigation.
Ashley C. Hedgecock ,
Robinson Bradshaw & Hinson PA, received the 2013 Young Professional Business Leader Award in February from the Charlotte Chamber Young Professionals.
2009 Walt Cartin , Parker
Poe Adams & Bernstein LLP, became a member of Leadership South Carolina’s Class of 2014 in September. Daniel Hardee Harshaw was married
to Jane Ann Hawley on August 17 in McConnells, S.C.
2011 Cara Cochran , an
attorney at Pennington Law Firm LLC, became a member of Leadership South Carolina’s Class of 2014 in September. Evelyn Murdaugh Mitchell married Craig
Carruth Link on June 8, in Beaufort. They now live in Washington, DC. Felicia Preston ,
Parker Poe Adams & Bernstein LLP, was appointed to the Board of Trustees at John de la Howe School in August. Sheila M. Bias joined
Davis Rice returned
to his native home of Clinton, S.C., in January to practice law with local attorney, Claude H. “Chip” Howe III.
Richardson, Plowden & Robinson PA, as an associate in April. She was selected as the vice-chair of the Columbia Cinderella Project in June.
Dr. John Zimmer,
2012
Smith Moore Leatherwood LLP, received the Mecklenburg County Bar’s Extraordinary Pro Bono Service Award for an Outstanding Individual Attorney in February.
2010 Lane Kenneth Cook
was married to Brittany Pennock Skiles on December 15, at Rutledge Chapel on the historic horseshoe at the University of South Carolina.
Hall Provence joined
Smith Moore Leatherwood LLP as an associate in the Corporate Practice Group in May.
Lyndey Ritz Zwing
joined Ellis, Lawhorne & Sims PA in November as an associate attorney in the Litigation and Dispute Resolution Practice Group. Lana H. Sims IV joined
Ellis, Lawhorne & Sims PA in November as an associate attorney in the Litigation and Dispute Resolution Practice Group. J. Christopher Selman
joined Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP as an associate in the Litigation and Construction and Procurement Practice groups in October.
2013 Stuart Long Brooks
was sworn in as a member of the Pitt County Bar Association in Pitt County, N.C. in September. Stephanie Helling
joined the WACH Fox news team as a reporter in June.
Richard A. “Trey” Jones III joined
Richardson Plowden & Robinson PA as an associate attorney in August. Brandon Smith ,
Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough LLP, became a member of Leadership South Carolina’s Class of 2014 in September.
Have news you’d like to share? Tell us! Email your updates to lawnews@law.sc.edu. Due to space limitations, the fine print* alumni news section includes only updates about new positions, promotions, awards, wedding and birth announcements, etc. For a full listing that includes state and national designations, please visit law.sc.edu/ thefineprint/alumninews.
The National Pro Bono Celebration is October 20-26, and we want to inspire our students through the stories of alumni who give of their time, skills and expertise to bring justice to all. Take a few moments today to share an anecdote about your first pro bono case or a special client who tugged at your heart. Tell us what lessons you have learned since your law school days — lessons that have made your professional life a bit more meaningful. Your story will help us instill a passion for service in the next generation! Submit it today at law.sc.edu/probono/alumni.
NOMINATIONS
Know a Compleat Lawyer? In 1992, the University of South Carolina School of Law Alumni Council (formerly the Alumni Association) created The Compleat Lawyer Award to recognize alumni for their outstanding civic and professional accomplishments. If you know a fellow alum who has made a major impact in the lives of their clients and in their community, we encourage you to nominate them for the 2014 Compleat Lawyer Award. And yes, you can nominate yourself as well. But hurry! The postmark deadline for nomination submissions is November 1. To find the nomination forms, or to learn more about the process, go to law.sc.edu/ compleat_lawyer.
U NI V E RS I T Y O F S O U T H C A R O LIN A
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giving.sc.edu/law
As a Gamecock, my pursuit has No Limits. Josh Eagle, faculty School of Law
Spanish moss, pinching blue crabs and resort villages distinguish Josh Eagle’s passion for the law. As a USC law professor he is knee-deep in the rising tide of coastal law, a new field of knowledge that combines environmental sciences, land development and public policy. Through his research, Josh seeks to understand the relationship between economic development and nature preservation. For South Carolinians and the tourists who visit our state, his work ensures that future generations enjoy the splash of tidal dolphins as well as birdie putts.
sc.edu/nolimits