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  • Founders

    Hon. Alex Sanders
    Hon. Robert S. Carr
    Hon. George C. Kosko
    Ralph C. McCullough II
    Edward J. Westbrook

  • Board of Advisors

    Hon. P. Michael Duffy, chairman
    T. Patton Adams IV
    Steven "Cam" R. Anderson
    Hon. Sol Blatt Jr.
    Charles J. Boykin
    Hon. Robert S. Carr
    Hon. Richard E. Fields
    Michael D. Glenn
    John A. Hagins, Jr.
    Hon. Kaye A. Hearn
    Hon. Ernest F. Hollings
    Gedney M. Howe III
    Edward M. Hughes
    Hon. Deadra L. Jefferson
    C. Roland Jones Jr.
    Hon. George C. Kosko
    Ralph C. McCullough II
    Dr. William V. Moore
    Hon. David C. Norton
    James W. Peterson Jr.
    Hon. Daniel F. Pieper
    Mayor Joseph P. Riley Jr.
    Hon. Alex Sanders
    Thomas Waring
    Edward J. Westbrook
    Hon. William W. Wilkins

Other information

 

 

 

 

 


Founders

Three founders of the school serve as its Board of Directors. They also serve on the Board of Advisors. They are:

Honorable Alex Sanders - chairman
Retired President of College of Charleston
Retired Chief Judge of the S.C. Court of Appeals
University of South Carolina, B.S., 1960
University of South Carolina, LL.B., 1962
University of Virginia, M.A.

As past president of the College of Charleston, Chief Judge of the South Carolina Court of Appeals, a member of both the South Carolina House of Representatives and Senate and educator, Judge Sanders has devoted a lifetime to public service in South Carolina. Judge Sanders has also served in the United States Army, been a member of the adjunct faculty at both the University of South Carolina and Harvard Law School, and a professor at the College of Charleston.

Ralph C. McCullough II
Professor of Law, Charleston School of Law
Distinguished Professor Emeritus, USC School of Law
Past Assistant Dean of USC School of Law
Erskine College, B.A., 1962
Tulane University, J.D., 1965

Professor McCullough has distinguished himself as legal educator in the areas of torts, law and medicine, damages, and trial advocacy. He held the American College of Trial Lawyers chair at the University of South Carolina Law School. He is the co-author of books on civil litigation in the federal courts and on South Carolina torts law, as well as the author of articles on bankruptcy practice and procedure.

Edward J. Westbrook
Attorney; Richardson, Patrick, Westbrook, and Brickman, LLC
Stevens Institute of Technology, B.E., 1974
University of South Carolina, J.D., magna cum laude, 1976

Mr. Westbrook is recognized nationally for his work in asbestos, toxic tort, and consumer fraud class action litigation. He is admitted to practice in the U.S. Supreme Court U.S. Court of Appeals, Second Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals, Third Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals, Fourth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals, Seventh Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals, Eleventh Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals, District of Columbia Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals, Federal Circuit; South Carolina, the District of Columbia, and U.S. District Court, District of South Carolina. He is a member of the South Carolina Bar, the American Bar Association, South Carolina Trial Lawyers Association, The Association of Trial Lawyers of America. He served as Editor, South Carolina Law Review, 1975-1976. Instructor in Legal Writing, University of South Carolina Law School, 1976-1977, and Law Clerk to Hon. Sol Blatt, Jr., U.S. District Court, District of South Carolina, 1977-1979.

Two additional founders of the school are:

Honorable Robert S. Carr
U.S. Magistrate Judge, District of South Carolina
Furman University, B.S., 1967
University of South Carolina, J.D., 1971

Prior to being appointed to the Court in 1975, Judge Carr practiced law in Columbia, SC, served as law clerk to Judge Robert F. Chapman, U.S. District Judge for the District of SC, and was legal assistant to Senator Strom Thurmond. In addition, Judge Carr enlisted in the United States Army Reserve in 1968 and retired as a Colonel in 1997. He received numerous awards and medals including the Legion of Merit. He has served in the House of Delegates of the American Bar Association, as President of the Federal Magistrate Judges Association, Chairman of the National Conference of Special Court Judges, and on the Judicial Resources Committee of the Judicial Conference of the United States. Judge Carr has been a member of the adjunct faculty at the College of Charleston since 1982.

Honorable George C. Kosko
U.S. Magistrate Judge, District of South Carolina
University of South Carolina, B.S., 1966
University of South Carolina, J.D., 1971
University of Colorado, National Institute of Trial Advocacy, 1972

Prior to appointment to the Court in 2000, Judge Kosko was in private practice from 1975-2000. Judge Kosko also served as the first Family Court Solicitor in South Carolina and Assistant Solicitor for Richland County. In addition to being selected for inclusion in the first Who's Who in American Law, Judge Kosko also lectured at the University of South Carolina School of Law on trial issues and ethics and has delivered many papers for the American Association of Airport Executives, the Southeastern Aviation Managers Association, the North Carolina Aircraft Association, and the South Carolina Aeronautics Commission. Judge Kosko is a member of the American Bar Association, District of Columbia Bar Association, South Carolina Bar Association, American Judicature Society, Lawyers/Pilots Bar Association, National Transportation Safety Board Bar Association, Aviation Insurance Association, and the Defense Research Institute.

Board of Advisors

The Board of Advisors of the Charleston School of Law includes founders of the school (above) and some of South Carolina's most prominent judges, lawyers and scholars. The members of the Committee share a commitment to establishing a student oriented law school premised upon ideals of service to the community, professionalism, and excellence in legal education.

Honorable P. Michael Duffy, chairman
U.S. District Judge, District of South Carolina
The Citadel, B.A., 1965
University of South Carolina, J.D., 1968

Before his appointment, Judge Duffy was a partner in the law firm of Hollings & Hawkins and later a principal in the McNair Law Firm. He has been a member of numerous professional and civic organizations and he is a senior bencher and staunch supporter of The Citadel Inn of Court, a pre-law society. He was awarded an Honorary Doctor of Laws degree from The Citadel in 2000. He is a distinguished visiting professor at the Charleston School of Law.

T. Patton Adams IV
Executive Director, S.C. Commission on Indigent Defense
Washington & Lee University, B.A. in Political Science, 1965
University of South Carolina School of Law, J.D., 1968

Mr. Adams has been the executive director of the commission since January 2005. A native of Columbia and a 1968 graduate of the University of South Carolina School of Law, he maintained an active private law practice in Columbia for over 28 years. Prior to joining the agency Mr. Adams served as the vice president for government relations and general counsel for a major hospital industry trade association. A Vietnam veteran, Mr. Adams served as Mayor of Columbia from 1986-1990 and was an at-large member of its City Council from 1976-1986. More.

Steven "Cam" R. Anderson
Attorney: Law Office of Steven R. Anderson, Columbia, S.C.

Honorable Sol Blatt, Jr.
Senior United States District Judge
University of South Carolina, A.B., 1941
University of South Carolina, J.D., 1946

Sol Blatt, Jr., Senior United States District Judge, was born on August 20, 1921, and is a native of Barnwell, South Carolina. A graduate of the University of South Carolina, he received his A.B. degree in 1941 and his J.D. degree in 1946. From 1946 until 1971, Judge Blatt practiced law in the firm of Blatt and Fales in Barnwell, South Carolina. He was appointed to the District Court in 1971 and was elevated to Chief Judge in 1986. Judge Blatt took Senior Status in 1990. In December 2006 he became the longest serving district judge in the 200-plus year history of the District of South Carolina. Judge Blatt was married to the former Carolyn Gayden from 1942 until her death in 2004. They have three children. He is an avid golfer, fisherman, and a life-long supporter of the athletic teams of his alma mater.

Charles J. Boykin
Attorney: Boykin, Davis & Hawkins, LLC, Columbia, S.C.
Benedict College, B.A., cum laude, 1974
University of South Carolina, M.P.A., 1977
University of South Carolina, J.D., 1992

Mr. Boykin, a labor and employment lawyer, served as articles editor for the Southern University Law Center Law Review. A certified Circuit Court mediator and arbitrator, he is active in many professional legal groups.

Honorable Richard E. Fields
Retired Judge, Ninth Circuit
West Virginia State College, B.S., 1944
Howard University, LL.B., 1947

Judge Fields was admitted to practice before both the Bar of the District of Columbia and South Carolina in 1948, and in 1949 returned to Charleston to begin his law practice. In 1969, he was appointed Associate Municipal Court Judge for the City of Charleston and in 1971 became the Court's Presiding Judge. Thereafter in 1974, Judge Fields was elected by the South Carolina General Assembly to the position of Judge of the Family Court in Charleston County and served in this capacity until 1980 when he was elected by the General Assembly to serve as a Judge of the Circuit Court of South Carolina where he served with distinction until he retired in 1992. Throughout his illustrious career, Judge Fields has served on numerous boards and agencies in Charleston County and throughout the State of South Carolina, and has maintained active membership in the United Methodist Church. He has served as a delegate to numerous Methodist conferences, as a member of the General Board of Finance and Administration of the United Methodist Church, the corporate body of the Church, and as a member of its executive committee for a period of eight years. Before taking the bench, Judge Fields was active in the Democratic Party, and in 1968 and 1972 was a Delegate to the National Democratic Conventions respectively held in Chicago, Illinois, and Miami, Florida.

Michael D. Glenn
Attorney: Glenn, Haigler, McClain & Stathakis, LLP
B.A., Furman University, 1962
J.D., University of South Carolina, 1965

Mr. Glenn is admitted to practice in the U.S. Supreme Court, the U.S.Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, the U.S. District Court of Appeals for the Armed Services, the U.S. District Court for the District of South Carolina, and the Supreme Court of South Carolina. Mr. Glenn served as city judge, City of Anerson (1969-72), county judge for Anderson County (1972-78), South Carolina Family Court Judge (1977-78). He is a member of the American College of Trial Lawyers, the American Bar Association, the American Board of Trial Advocates, the Association of Trial Lawyers of America, and the South Carolina Bar. Mr. Glenn has served as a member of the S.C. Bar Board of Governors (1999-2002), the Judicial Qualifications Committee (1992-1995), the S.C. Supreme Court Board of Commissioners on Grievance and Discipline (1985-88), the S.C. Supreme Court Board of Bar Examiners (1990-93), and presently servces on the S.C. Supreme Court ADR Commission.

John A. Hagins, Jr.
Attorney; Covington, Patrick, Hagins, Stern, & Lewis, P.A.
University of South Carolina, B.S., 1960
University of South Carolina, J.D., 1963

Past President of the Greenville Bar Association, South Carolina Trial Lawyers Association, and South Carolina Bar, member of the American Bar Association, and past member of the South Carolina House of Representatives, Mr. Hagins is well known throughout the state for his contributions to South Carolina and the legal society. In addition to his position of President, Mr. Hagins also served the South Carolina Bar through his positions of Chairman of the Division on Continuing Legal Education, House of Delegates, Secretary, and President-Elect. Mr. Hagins is also a member of The Association of Trial Lawyers of America, National Conference of Bar Presidents, Southern Conference of Bar Presidents, and a Fellow of the South Carolina Bar Foundation. Mr. Hagins is currently a partner in the Greenville firm Covington, Patrick, Hagins, Stern, and Lewis, P.A.

Honorable Kaye A. Hearn
Chief Judge, S.C. Court of Appeals
Bethany College, B.A., cum laude, 1972
University of Virginia, L.L.M., 1998
University of South Carolina School of Law, J.D., 1977

Judge Kaye Hearn has served as a member of the South Carolina Court of Appeals since her election on March 21, 1995. On June 21, 1999, she was elected Chief Judge. From 1986 until her election to the Court of Appeals, she served as Family Court Judge for the 15th Judicial District, comprising Horry and Georgetown Counties. She was the chief administrative judge in the 15th Circuit from 1987 until her election to the Court of Appeals. During her tenure as family court judge, she served as treasurer, vice-president, and president of the South Carolina Conference of Family Court Judges. Prior to going on the bench, Judge Hearn was a trial lawyer with the firm of Stevens, Stevens, Thomas, Hearn, and Hearn. Immediately upon graduation from law school, she was law clerk to The Honorable Julius B. Ness, Associate Justice of the South Carolina Supreme Court. More.

Honorable Ernest F. Hollings
B.A., The Citadel
J.D., The University of South Carolina

Ernest "Fritz" Hollings, a distinguished visiting professor at the Charleston School of Law, is a former United States Senator (1966-2004). A World War II veteran, he served as governor (1958-62) and lieutenant governor (1954-58) of the state of South Carolina.

Gedney M. Howe, III
Attorney, Gedney M. Howe, III, P.A.
University of South Carolina, B.A., 1969
University of South Carolina, J.D., 1973

Mr. Howe is a member of one of Charleston's most distinguished families in the law and has distinguished himself in his own right as a plaintiff's attorney in the areas of Personal Injury; Products Liability; and Wrongful Death. He is admitted to practice in the United states Supreme Court, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit; 1991, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit and South Carolina. He is a member of the Charleston County and American Bar Associations; South Carolina Bar; South Carolina Trial Lawyers Association; The Association of Trial Lawyers of America; American Board of Criminal Lawyers; National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers; National College of Criminal Defense Lawyers; South Carolina Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers. His honors include Blue Key and a Fellow, International Society of Barristers.

Edward M. Hughes

In 2000, Mr. Hughes merged his Hilton Head Island law firm with Nexsen Pruet Jacobs & Pollard. Mr. Hughes specializes in business law, land use law, real estate development, interstate land sales, banking and creditor's rights and commercial and residential closings. Mr. Hughes has been involved in several large real estate developments in the Hilton Head area, including Hilton Head Plantation, Indigo Run Plantation, Wexford Plantation, Port Royal Plantation and Shipyard Plantation. Most recently, Mr. Hughes was involved in the acquisition and development of Palmetto Bluff, a 20,000 acre development in southern Beaufort County, South Carolina. In addition to local developments, Mr. Hughes has been involved in the acquisition and development of properties from Colorado and Utah to Texas and Georgia. He is currently a member of the Hilton Head Island Bar Association, Beaufort County Bar Association and the South Carolina Bar Association. He served in the House of Delegates of the South Carolina Bar for 10 years representing the Fourteenth Judicial Circuit. Mr. Hughes was born in Columbia, South Carolina, on December 17, 1949. Mr. Hughes received his undergraduate degree from Clemson University in 1971 and his J.D. from University of South Carolina in 1974.

Honorable Deadra L. Jefferson
Judge, Ninth Judicial Circuit
Converse College, B.A., 1985
University of South Carolina, J.D., 1989

Previous Family Court judge and law clerk to Judge Richard E. Fields, Judge Jefferson was elected to the Ninth Circuit on March 30, 2001. Judge Jefferson was selected for Who's Who Among American College and University Students and is a member of the Junior League of Charleston.

C. Roland Jones, Jr.
Attorney: Jones & Hendrix, P.A., Spartanburg, S.C.
Wofford College, B.A., 1967
University of South Carolina, J.D., 1972

Mr. Jones, whose practice emphasizes insurance litigation defense and workers' compensation defense, is a partner with Jones & Hendrix, P.A., in Spartanburg. Prior to starting his own practice in 1998, Jones worked as an attorney with the Ward Law Firm, P.A., from 1983 to1998. In the four years starting in 1979, he was chief judge of the Spartanburg Magistrate Court, and served as associate judge of Spartanburg County Civil and Criminal Court from 1977 to 1979. Mr. Jones, who was an assistant circuit solicitor for the 7th Judicial Circuit from 1975 to 1977, also was a law clerk for U.S. District Chief Judge J. Robert Martin Jr. for the District of South Carolina from 1974 to 1975. In 1993 after 24 years of service, Mr. Jones retired as a major in the U.S. Army Reserve.

Dr. William V. Moore
Professor, College of Charleston
Southern Illinois University, B.A., 1966
Southern Illinois University, M.A., 1968
Tulane University, PhD, 1975

Dr. Moore is the recipient of the Distinguished Teaching Award, Distinguished Service Award, Distinguished Advising Award, and Distinguished Teacher-Scholar Awards given by the College of Charleston. Dr. Moore also received the South Carolina Governor's Professor of the Year Award in 1997 and is listed in Who's Who in America and Who's Who in the World. Dr. Moore is currently a professor of political science at the College of Charleston where he has been a member of the faculty since 1972.

Honorable David C. Norton
U.S. District Judge, District of South Carolina
University of the South, B.A., 1968
University of South Carolina, J.D., 1975

Appointed in 1990, Judge Norton serves as a U.S. District Judge for the District of South Carolina. After receiving his bachelor's degree, Judge Norton joined the United States Navy and was awarded the Navy Commendation Medal for his service. Judge Norton also served as partner with Holmes and Thomson from 1980-1990, City Attorney for Isle of Palms, and Deputy Solicitor for the Ninth Judicial Circuit. Judge Norton was awarded the Gedney M. Howe Award for Pro Bono in 1988 and has significant leadership service including Secretary/Treasurer for the Charleston County Bar Association, South Carolina Bar House of Delegates, and Defense Trial Assistant Attorneys Association Executive Committee.

James W. Peterson, Jr.
Attorney: Clarke, Johnson, Peterson & McLean, P.A.
Presbyterian College, B.S. in Economics, 1972
University of South Carolina, J.D., 1975

Mr. Peterson is a shareholder in the law firm of Clarke, Johnson, Peterson & McLean, P.A., in Florence, South Carolina. He was admitted to practice in South Carolina in 1975 and in the U.S. Court of Military Appeals in 1976. After three years on active duty as a Captain with the U.S. Army, JAGC, he served as a Law Clerk to the Honorable C. Weston Houck, U.S. District Judge for the District of South Carolina. Mr. Peterson continued his military service in the United States Army Reserves until retiring as a Colonel in 2002. He joined his present firm in 1981, and is involved in a general practice with emphasis on civil litigation, mediation, and municipal law. He has served as City Attorney for the City of Florence since 1994, and presently is President of the South Carolina Municipal Attorneys Association. He was appointed by the South Carolina Supreme Court as a member of the initial Board for Certification of Mediators and Arbitrators and continues to serve as a member of that Board and on the ADR Commission for South Carolina.

Honorable Daniel F. Pieper
Judge, Ninth Judicial Circuit
College of Charleston, B.A., 1982
University of South Carolina School of Law, J.D., 1984
New York University Law School, LL.M. in taxation,

In 1993, Judge Pieper was elected by the General Assembly to the position of Master-in-Equity in the Ninth Judicial Circuit. Soon after his appointment, the Chief Justice designated Judge Pieper as a Special Circuit Judge whereby he regularly presided over additional civil and criminal cases and proceedings, all appeals from lower courts and administrative agencies, as well as grand jury matters. He continued serving as Master-in-Equity and Special Circuit Judge until May 22, 1996; on that date, he was elected Resident Circuit Judge of the Ninth Circuit and continued in that role until Fall 2007. On May 23, 2007, Judge Pieper was elected as Judge of the S.C. Court of Appeals and fully assumes the duties of that office in November 2007. More.

Mayor Joseph P. Riley
Mayor, Charleston, S.C., 1975-present
The Citadel, 1964
University of South Carolina, J.D., 1967

Currently serving an unprecedented seventh term as Charleston mayor, Mayor Riley has been named as one of the twenty-five most dynamic mayors in America by Newsweek magazine. Because of his outstanding leadership, Charleston has been named as one of the most progressive and livable cities in the United States. In June of 2000 he was awarded the first President's Award from the U.S. Conference of Mayors for outstanding leadership. Other leadership roles include past President of the U.S. Conference of Mayors, Chairman of the Cities Task Force of the Southern Growth Policies Board, and President of the National Association of Democratic Mayors. Currently Mayor Riley serves on the U.S. Conference of Mayors Executive Committee.

Thomas Waring
Attorney: Moore & Van Allen, PLLC
A.B., University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 1966
M.B.A., Harvard University, 1972
Master of Accounting, University of South Carolina, 1977
J.D., University of South Carolina, 1978

Honorable William W. Wilkins
U.S. Court of Appeals, 4th Circuit, Judge
Davidson College, B.A., 1964
University of South Carolina, J.D., 1967

Described by Senator Strom Thurmond as "a man of character and unquestionable integrity" Judge Wilkins has devoted much of his life to public service. Judge Wilkins first served as law clerk to Judge Clement F. Haynsworth, Jr., after which he entered private practice in Greenville, SC. Shortly thereafter Judge Wilkins was elected as Solicitor for the Thirteenth Judicial Circuit and served in that capacity until 1981 when he was appointed to the United States District Court by President Reagan. In 1985 President Reagan appointed Judge Wilkins as the first Chairman of the United States Sentencing Commission in charge of establishing guidelines for the sentencing of federal defendants. In 1986 Judge Wilkins was further appointed to the United States Circuit Court of Appeals responsible for hearing appeals from SC, NC, VA, WV and MD. He served as chief judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals, Fourth Circuit, from 2003-2007.

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