Hundreds lined Mary Street at the Aug. 17 opening of the Charleston School of Law.

Law school has strong start
Editorial from The (Charleston) S.C. Post and Courier

AUG. 19, 2004 - - The Charleston School of Law is an ambitious and worthy endeavor that already has surpassed its early expectations of success. The response to the school, by prospective students and the legal community, should be an indication of greater things to come.
Conceived in early 2003, the school opened its doors this week to its first class. Hundreds of applications were received for the available slots, and the college, originally expecting to enroll 125 students, has accepted 200, including 65 part time.

In its application to the state Commission on Higher Education this year, college officials noted that the University of South Carolina School of Law is able to accept less than 15 percent of those who apply. The need for a second law school is evident, but the new college will not be merely a second law school.

With its focus on social justice, the law school will attract students who want to make a difference in their professional lives. U.S. District Judge Joseph Anderson applauded that mission in remarks at the college's opening ceremony Tuesday, noting that too many lawyers have avoided civic life in search of "the almighty billable hour."

The new college, he said, "will help repair our somewhat tarnished image."

Alex Sanders, chairman of the law school, was emphatic about its goal: to produce lawyers who are willing to acknowledge the "high calling of representing the lost, the least, the last and left out." Formerly president of the College of Charleston and a judge on the state appeals court, Mr. Sanders has been a primary force behind the college since its inception. The college will be the beneficiary of the high regard in which Mr. Sanders is held in this city and state.

The law school is located in one of the former railroad buildings on Mary Street, used previously by the Chamber of Commerce. It is expected to outgrow its quarters by next fall, and the college will continue to be, to some degree, a work in progress as it looks for permanent quarters and seeks accreditation from the American Bar Association.

But the college already has surmounted its greatest hurdle by simply opening its doors for the academic year. The Charleston School of Law is a welcome addition to the city's higher education community. It should prove of great value to students who share its aspirations for public service and to those who eventually will be served by them, when the school graduates its first class three years hence.