University of South Carolina School of Law

University of South Carolina School of Law. It is the professional graduate school for law at the University of South Carolina and the only public law school in the state. Founded in the aftermath of the American Civil War, it is one of the oldest continuously operating law schools in the Southeastern United States. The school is known for its strong programs in legal writing, environmental law, and clinical education, and it serves as a primary feeder for the South Carolina Bar.

History

The institution was established in 1867 by an act of the South Carolina General Assembly, reopening the university which had closed during the American Civil War. Early instruction was led by figures like Thomas J. Robertson, a United States Senator and member of the Freedmen's Bureau. The school admitted its first African American student, John H. Wrighten III, in 1947 following a lawsuit, and its first female graduate was Gwen B. Cherry in 1971. A significant milestone was the 1970 move from the historic Horseshoe to a new building, with a subsequent relocation in 2017 to a state-of-the-art facility named for alumnus and donor J. Heyward Hipp.

Academics

The school offers the Juris Doctor degree, along with several dual-degree programs such as a JD-MBA with the Darla Moore School of Business and a JD-MPA with the College of Arts and Sciences. It houses specialized centers like the Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough Center on Professionalism and the Children's Law Center. The curriculum emphasizes practical skills through robust clinical programs, including the Clinical Legal Education program and the Veterans Legal Clinic. The school's Moot Court and Mock Trial teams are consistently competitive in national competitions like the National Moot Court Competition.

Campus

Since 2017, the law school has been housed in the modern J. Heyward Hipp building at the corner of Gervais Street and Pendleton Street in Columbia's Innovista district. The facility features the Julian H. Robertson Jr. Trial Courtroom, a full-scale replica of the Supreme Court of South Carolina, and the South Carolina Law Library, one of the largest in the Southeastern United States. The building is adjacent to the South Carolina State House and the Matthew J. Perry Jr. Federal Courthouse, providing proximity to state government and the federal judiciary.

Notable alumni

Graduates have achieved prominence in judicial, political, and private practice realms. Notable jurists include Matthew J. Perry Jr., the first African American federal judge from South Carolina; Jean Hoefer Toal, former Chief Justice of the South Carolina Supreme Court; and J. Michelle Childs, a judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. Political figures include Strom Thurmond, longtime United States Senator; Lindsey Graham, current United States Senator; and James F. Byrnes, former United States Secretary of State and Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States.

Publications and organizations

The school's primary legal journal is the South Carolina Law Review, one of the oldest law reviews in the Southern United States. Students also publish the Journal of Law and Education and the South Carolina Environmental Law Journal. The Student Bar Association governs student organizations, which include chapters of the Federalist Society, the American Constitution Society, and the Black Law Students Association. Professional fraternities such as Phi Alpha Delta and Phi Delta Phi are active, along with specialized groups like the Environmental Law Society and the Women in Law organization.

Category:University of South Carolina Category:Law schools in South Carolina Category:Educational institutions established in 1867