Virtual Commencement Exercises Charleston School of Law May 10, 2020 Welcome Today’s ceremony marks a milestone for this, our fourteenth graduating class. This group of talented legal minds has spent the past three years immersed in a vast array of legal topics, while gaining crucial knowledge, skills and practical experience through a range of experiential learning opportunities. They leave us today ready for the bright and exciting future that awaits them. Equally as important as the skills they have acquired are the values our faculty and staff have sought to instill within them: a commitment to public service that will lead them to have a positive impact in the lives of others and in their communities, as well as a commitment to provide relief for those who are helpless, weak, outnumbered or victims of prejudice. I hope you will find this Virtual Commencement ceremony to be a meaningful and impressive celebration of the achievements of those who receive their degrees today. Thank supporting us as we continue our tradition of graduating the next generation of legal professionals. These graduates truly are the individuals who will shape the future of our state, our nation and our world. -- Andrew L. Abrams Dean, Provost, and Professor of Law Parents, family, friends - it is my honor to welcome each of you to this virtual celebration. Today marks the culmination of legal education for these graduating students. Each and every one of these students has shown great perseverance, which is a testament to their character and shows a drive to advance their legal education and become part of this honorable profession. Graduation from law school is a tremendous achievement, and I am proud to share this moment with all of you. This group of talented individuals is now adept with legal knowledge, equipped through practical experience for the rigors of the legal profession, and trained in the skills to facilitate a smooth transition. One of the incredible things about this school, and something of which I am honored to be part, is that each student, alumni, faculty and staff shows dedication to the founding motto: Pro Bono Populi. The dedication of time and effort toward the betterment of others throughout the community is a worthwhile proposition and something that will serve them well in their lives, both as attorneys and in general. Thank you all for celebrating the accomplishments of these graduates. These are future attorneys, community leaders, church leaders, and role models who will affect the lives of those around them. To our newest alumni – I look forward to seeing what the future holds for each of you. -- J. Edward Bell III President Order of Exercises PRESIDING Andrew L. Abrams Dean, Provost, and Professor of Law WELCOME AND OPENING REMARKS Dean Andrew L. Abrams J. Edward Bell III President Laura E. Holloway Student Bar Association President, 2019-2020 SPECIAL AWARDS AND RECOGNITIONS Dean Andrew L. Abrams COMMENCEMENT ADDRESS Dean Andrew L. Abrams PRESENTATION OF THE CANDIDATES FOR DEGREES Margaret M. Lawton Associate Dean and Professor of Law CONFERRING OF DEGREES Dean Andrew L. Abrams ANNOUNCEMENT OF CANDIDATES Professor Jason A. Paskan Visiting Professor of Law CLOSING REMARKS Dean Andrew L. Abrams Charleston School of Law The Charleston School of Law is rooted in tradition, tracing its precedent to November 1825, when a group of Charleston attorneys petitioned the South Carolina Legislature for a charter of incorporation for the “creation of a regular Law Institute in the City of Charleston and the annexation of a Law Library.” The following month, the Legislature granted Act No. 2379, establishing “a Lecture-ship on the Law.” In February 1826, the Charleston Forensic Club began offering lectures, essentially establishing the South’s first law school. That legacy continues today through the Charleston School of Law. In 2002, several prominent Charleston judges and attorneys began working to establish a new law school that would serve as a community-centered institution offering a superior traditional and experiential educational program led by a collegial faculty of the highest caliber. In 2003, the S.C. Commission on Higher Education granted a license to allow the school to begin accepting students. The Charleston School of Law opened its doors on August 17, 2004, with 133 full-time students and 64 part-time students. In the fall of 2005 and 2006, the school welcomed its second and third classes of students, bringing its enrollment to about 600 students. The school received provisional accreditation from the American Bar Association on December 2, 2006. On August 4, 2011, the school was fully accredited by the American Bar Association. Charleston has played a pivotal role in the development of the rule of law in our country and has a legal community with the highest professional reputation. Not only are Charleston School of Law students able to take advantage of mentoring and externship programs offered in conjunction with Charleston’s collegial, professional Bar, but they also benefit from a firsthand look at the study of law in a city anchored by a historic, yet vital, downtown civic hub known as the Four Corners of Law. Thus, the Charleston School of Law has reinvigorated the study of law in Charleston by offering a rich, comprehensive program rooted in excellence. We believe that better lawyers make better communities. The Charleston School of Law’s mission is to make better lawyers by producing practice-ready graduates of high moral character and integrity and instilling within them a commitment to public service. The Charleston School of Law is committed to producing great lawyers for the greater good. Charleston School of Law BOARD OF DIRECTORS J. Edward Bell III, Esq. The Hon. Robert S. Carr The Hon. George C. Kosko ANNOUNCER Jason A. Paskan Visiting Professor of Law MUSICIANS Thomas Joyce and The Charleston Brass Honorary Degree Recipients T. Patton Adams IV, Esquire, 2013 The Hon. Kaye G. Hearn, 2010 The Hon. G. Ross Anderson Jr., 2009 The Hon. Ernest F. Hollings, 2007 Hulett H. Askew, Esquire, 2012 William C. Hubbard, Esquire, 2014 The Hon. Sol Blatt Jr., 2009 The Hon. John W. Kittredge, 2012 The Hon. James E. Clyburn, 2009 The Hon. Aphrodite K. Konduros, 2016 The Hon. Patrick Michael Duffy, 2011 Ralph C. McCullough II, Esquire, 2013 Dorthea Benton Frank, 2015 The Hon. Costa M. Pleicones, 2016 Terry E. The Hon. John C. Few, 2012 Richardson Jr., Esquire, 2008 The Hon. Richard M. Gergel, 2014 The Hon. Joseph P. Riley Jr., 2012 I. Richard Gershon, Esquire, 2008 John L. S. Simpkins, Esquire, 2013 The Hon. Lindsey O. Graham, 2011 The Hon. Jean Hoefer Toal, 2007 Jan Crawford Greenburg, Esquire, 2008 The Hon. William B. Traxler Jr., 2013 The Hon. Kristi Lea Harrington, 2015 The Hon. William Walter Wilkins, 2007 Faculty and Deans Andrew L. Abrams Paul E. Lund Dean, Provost, and Professor of Law Professor of Law LL.M., University of Virginia LL.M., Yale University J.D., University of South Carolina J.D., Florida State University B.A., Furman University B.S., Florida State University Aleatra P. Alexander Dylan O. Malagrinò Professor of Law Associate Professor of Law LL.M., University of California at Berkeley M.Sc., London School of Economics J.D., University of Oklahoma J.D., University of San Diego B.A., Purdue University B.A., Syracuse University Constance A. Anastopoulo Jonathan A. Marcantel Associate Professor of Law Associate Professor of Law J.D., University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill J.D., University of South Carolina B.A., University of Virginia B.A., College of Charleston Jacqueline B. Bell Dyann M. Margolis Associate Dean of Admission and Financial Aid Assistant Dean for Academic and Bar Success B.A., University of South Carolina J.D., Cleveland-Marshall B.A., Miami University Kathleen S.M. Brown Associate Dean for Information Resources Elizabeth H. McCullough M.L.I.S., Drexel University Associate Professor of Law J.D., Seattle University J.D., University of South Carolina B.F.A., DePaul University M.S., University of South Carolina B.S., University of Virginia Kevin R. Eberle Legal Research, Analysis and Writing Professor William G. Merkel J.D., University of South Carolina Associate Professor of Law B.A., College of William and Mary D. Phil., Oxford University J.D., Columbia University Kristin Balding Gutting B.A., Johns Hopkins University Associate Professor of Law LL.M., University of Florida Jennifer L. North J.D., Saint Louis University Legal Research, Analysis and Writing Professor B.S., Valparaiso University LL.M., Tulane University J.D., Texas Wesleyan University William M. Janssen B.A., Tulane University Professor of Law J.D., American University Kimberly D. Phillips B.A., Saint Joseph’s University Associate Professor of Law LL.M., Columbia University Margaret M. Lawton J.D., Washburn University Associate Dean for Academic Affairs B.B.A., Texas Tech University Professor of Law J.D., Georgetown University B.A., Duke University Nicholas R. Sanders Associate Dean of Students Assistant Dean of Career Services J.D., Charleston School of Law B.A., Furman University Miller W. Shealy Jr. Professor of Law J.D., University of South Carolina B.A., University of South Carolina Lisa A. Smith-Butler Associate Professor of Law M.L.S, Clark Atlanta University J.D., Creighton University B.A., Hastings College Barbara Jean Steadman Assistant Professor J.D., Mississippi College B.S., James Madison University Allyson Haynes Stuart Professor of Law J.D., University of South Carolina B.A., Duke University Nancy L. Zisk Professor of Law J.D., Duke University B.A., Duke University Current Visiting Instructional Faculty Raymond Batla Distinguished Visiting Professor of Law J.D., University of Texas B.S., University of Texas James G.