News & Notes
Veteran Legal Needs
The Center has partnered with Bennett Gore, director of the Veterans Legal Clinic, and Liyun Zhang, a research scientist at the Children's Law Center, to conduct statewide surveys of indigent veterans and legal and social service providers in order to assess indigent veterans' top legal needs. The survey will help the clinic and other providers plan and coordinate services and raise awareness of veteran legal needs in the state.
3L Mentoring Program
The Center and the SC Bar Young Lawyers Division sponsor a voluntary one-on-one mentoring program for 3L students. The program begins with a kick-off event in the fall, followed by professional and social events throughout the year. This year's kick-off was at Robinson Gray on September 19. On February 20, participants were invited to breakfast and to hear oral arguments at the Supreme Court of South Carolina. This year's formal program will conclude with a luncheon at the law school on April 12. Many thanks to the justices — and our 3L mentors — for their time and investment in the program!
Agency General Counsel Roundtable
The Agency General Counsel Roundtable met on January 11 to discuss pre-filed legislation affecting state agencies. Val Valenta, Phil Porter, and Laura Bayne from the Department of Motor Vehicles led the discussion. On November 29, Courtney M. Laster, General Counsel of the State Ethics Commission, discussed the requirements, procedures, and best practices under the Ethics Act of 1991. On October 5, Reginald W. Belcher of Turner Padget spoke to the about best practices for preventing and responding to workplace bullying and violence.
Designing and Testing Self-Help Legal Resources
Thanks to the support of the Center's Claude Mood Scarborough fellowships, law students worked for year with South Carolina Legal Services to design and test guided interview tools for document assembly in debt collection, housing, and guardianship actions. In addition to creating legal resources for the public, this project has provided valuable insights about the benefits and limits of automation, and has helped earn recognition for the law school as a leader in legal tech innovation.
National Legal Mentoring Consortium
Over 100 people attended the National Legal Mentoring Consortium Conference held April 12–14 at the law school. Events included keynotes by David Wilkins of Harvard Law School and William Hubbard of Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough, as well as substantive panels, PED talks, and breakout sessions on mentoring initiatives and best practices. The Center was a founding member of the National Legal Mentoring Consortium and hosted the first NLMC conference in 2008. The 2020 NLMC conference will be held in Chicago.
Upcoming Events
- Apr 5
3L Mentoring Luncheon
- Apr 10
JOE Ethics Seminar
- Apr 23
SC A2J Commission Meeting
- Apr 26
Commission on the Profession Meeting
