APRIL 3, 2006 -- Charleston School of Law students will have
a unique summer opportunity to partner with public defenders across
the state with the signing of a new agreement between the school
and the S.C. Commission on Indigent Defense.
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EXTERNSHIP
AGREEMENT SIGNED
T. Patton Adams, executive director of
the S.C. Commission on Indigent Defense, and Dean Richard
Gershon of the Charleston School of Law sign a historic
agreement to allow law students to serve as externs in public
defender offices across the state. Also pictured in the
back row (l-r) are Professor Elizabeth McCullough;
Commission member Robert L. Kilgo Jr., chief public
defender in Darlington County; Commission member and attorney
James D. Myrick of Charleston; and Derek J. Enderlin
of Walhalla, the Oconee County chief public defender who
also serves on the Commission.
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The school today announced its endorsement of a "memorandum
of understanding" with the commission that creates a new
externship program to allow interested students to work in public
defender offices in rural parts of the state. The program also
may help the students fulfill a public service graduation requirement.
The school is one of the few in the country that seeks to instill
a sense of public service in students by requiring that they give
at least 30 hours of law-related public service work before graduation.
"Public defenders in the rural counties of our state carry
tremendous caseloads and have very little support staff,"
said Harry Dest, the Commission chair who also is chief public
defender for York County.
"This is a way to provide some much-needed assistance to
them and at the same time introduce law students to the practice
of indigent defense in our criminal justice system in South Carolina.
The Commission looks forward to a long and productive relationship
with the Charleston School of Law as we together launch this externship
program."
Elizabeth McCullough, the head of the school's externship program,
said the new relationship with the Commission, would provide excellent
educational opportunities for students.
"It's important for law students to get real-life exposure
to the legal system under the guidance of experienced attorneys,"
she said. "This partnership with public defenders in rural
counties is a win-win for everyone."
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