Wofford pre-law provides foundation for legal profession Four up-and-coming legal eagles André Caldwell ’05 (Oklahoma City, Okla.) J.D., University of Oklahoma, College of Law, 2008 Caldwell works on the Violent Crimes and Drug Enforcement Task Force Team as assistant United States attorney. He has participated in more than 10 federal trials involving drug wiretap investigations, firearms violations and domestic terrorism. Recently he received an FBI Director's Award from FBI Director Robert Mueller for outstanding prosecutive skills. During law school, Caldwell received the William L. Bruce Scholarship and the Charles B. Memminger Memorial Scholarship. He earned the Order of Barristers given to the top 10 members of the graduating class for their skill in oral advocacy. Upon graduation, he also received the Just Desserts award, awarded each year to the single student who has made the College of Law a better place. Caldwell’s other law school accomplishments include membership on the nationally recognized Black Law Student Association Moot Court Team and the American Association for Justice Mock Trial Team. He served as president of the Dean’s Council, a group that mentors first-year law students, and judging director of the University of Oklahoma College of Law Board of Advocates.
Rachael M. Crews ’01 (Orlando, Fla.) J.D., Vanderbilt Law School, Nashville, Tenn., 2004 Selected as a Super Lawyers “Rising Star” in 2009, 2010 and 2011, Crews practices in eminent domain, general litigation and creditor’s rights inside and outside of bankruptcy with Gray Robinson (a firm from which 67 attorneys are listed among Florida’s Outstanding Lawyers). A senior associate with the firm, she has given National Business Institute Seminars on the new bankruptcy law and has written a chapter in Creditors’ and Debtors’ Practice in Florida (3rd Edition, 2007). Crews was admitted to The Florida Bar in 2004 and to the Northern, Southern and Middle Districts of Florida. She also is a member of the Orange County Bar Association, the American Bar Association and the Orange County Bar Book Club. She is currently presenting in Leadership Orlando.
Matt Howsare ’04 (Washington, D.C.) J.D., University of South Carolina School of Law (2007) In June of 2010, Howsare was appointed as the chief of staff of the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. As the senior-most advisor to the chairman, Howsare has an executive role in establishing the agency’s regulatory agenda, budget, and strategic plan and vision; implementing the chairman’s key priorities; and working with Congress and the White House. Howsare has traveled across the United States and to Canada, Singapore, Vietnam, Beijing, Hong Kong, Brussels and Spain, helping to establish new domestic and international partnerships and emphasizing the importance of compliance with safety requirements for consumer products. He also played a leadership role in the legal interpretation and policy implementation of the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008, landmark legislation that reformed the agency. Prior to joining the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, Howsare worked as an attorney at the law firm of Nelson, Mullins, Riley & Scarborough in Columbia, S.C. During his time in private practice, Howsare volunteered as a special prosecutor for the S.C. Attorney General’s Criminal Domestic Violence pro bono program and represented many pro bono clients, including nonprofit organizations, family court clients, and a crime victim assistance program.
Catherine Brawley Templeton ’93 (Charleston, S.C.) J.D., University of South Carolina School of Law, 1998 At the invitation of United States Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, Templeton was named one of two national coordinators for O’Connor’s Our Courts Project. Our Courts is designed to teach students civics and inspire them to be active participants in democracy. An attorney with Ogletree Deakins of Charleston, S.C., Templeton has been listed in Best Lawyers in America and was recognized with the Compleat Lawyer Award by the University of South Carolina, where she completed law school serving on the Honor Council and as the associate editor of the American Bar Association Real Property, Probate & Trust Journal. She worked as a human resources manager at Milliken & Company before enrolling in law school. Templeton recently was asked to serve as the state’s labor, licensing and regulations director by South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley.
6 • Wofford Today • Spring 2011
An interview with the Dean John Benfield ’78, Charleston School of Law John Benfield ’78 is the associate dean for admissions, administration and alumni development at the Charleston School of Law. He is a Wofford parent himself, and he hosts a popular gathering Benfield every year for alumni who are enrolled in the school. Prior to moving to Charleston in 2003, Benfield was the assistant dean of admission at the University of South Carolina School of Law.
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offord Today: Dean Benfield, perhaps you could begin by telling us a little about the Charleston School of Law.
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ean Benfield: The Charleston School of Law is a private institution that was approved to offer the J.D. degree by the South Carolina Commission on Higher Education in September 2003. We opened in the fall of 2004 with 200 students, including five Wofford graduates; this year, there are 28 Wofford alums enrolled in the law school. For me, it was a leap of faith to leave the University of South Carolina School of Law, but it was also a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. The founders’ vision appealed to me. They hoped to create the experience they wished they had had in law school — an elegant legal education that offered friendly, cooperative competition in a collegial atmosphere. We also wanted to emphasize the role that public service should play in the legal profession. As of today, graduates of the school have contributed more than 150,000 hours of pro bono legal services through the externship program and the pro bono program, a huge contribution to the people of the Charleston area, the state of South Carolina and in other states as well. All graduates are required to perform a minimum of 30 hours of pro bono legal assistance prior to graduation.
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offord Today: What advice would you like to give to a high school student or first-year undergraduate who is considering law school?
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ean Benfield: Get the best education you can. Take challenging courses, courses where you will get accustomed to be being called on in class. Learn to
John Benfield ’78 and his wife, Carol, hosted the 7th Annual Wofford College/Charleston School of Law Dinner at their home in November. Those attending the event included: Jacob Smith ’07, Melissa Fried ’06, Nicole Beck ’08, Kelly Turek ’09, Elizabeth LaMance ’09, Elizabeth Goodall ’09, Michael Gault ’10, Laura Trent ’10, Ellis Colvin ’10, Jonathan Spitz ’09, Molly Hughes Cherry ’93, Kate Hendricks ’10, Meredith Ann Carter ’10, Jordan Cash ’10, Eric Armstrong ’07 and Justin Hunter ’10.
express yourself confidently, orally and in writing. Don’t obsess with building up a resumé, or what your undergraduate major will be. The majority of law students major in business, government, history or English, but it’s really the skills you learn rather than the specific subject matter that are important. Don’t do anything because you think a law school wants to see it on the resumé, engage in those activities and programs that are meaningful to you, and then tell a law school why they were important to you and what experience you gained and what value you derived. Nationally, law school applications for the fall 2011 have declined by about 12 percent from this year, but it’s still a competitive world. As far as law school admission committees are concerned, nothing trumps solid LSAT scores and GPA. Study for the LSAT! Admission committees are very aware of the quality of undergraduate institutions, and I am as impressed as ever by the caliber of Wofford graduates who inquire about law school here. Other intangibles matter too: letters of recommendation, evidence of community involvement, and a good personal statement. We want to see a passion of the law and for public service.
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offord Today: We sometimes hear that there are too many lawyers and too many
law schools. How would you respond to that?
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ean Benfield: At this time, admittedly, there is a tight market for entry-level positions in law firms. While our placement statistics remain about the same, it takes recent graduates a little longer to settle into a permanent job. You can’t blame law students for expressing concern because many of them will graduate with six-figure debts for educational expenses. But these facts do not tell the whole story. Charleston School of Law graduates do not routinely end up in large firms in big cities, but then there are very few firms in South Carolina that would meet a national definition of “large.” It’s now very possible to hang out a shingle and start a solo practice or join a small partnership. A high percentage of those now practicing law in South Carolina are “baby boomers,” and as they retire, we anticipate that middlesized county seat towns will be underserved. There are also other good options, such as the military JAG branches. The fact is that there is always a need for lawyers because the law touches all of us in many ways. Also, a law degree is valuable for its own sake. In many ways, I see it as the ultimate liberal arts degree. A good legal education, like good education at any level, changes the way you look at the world. interview by Doyle Boggs ’70