University of South Carolina School of Law
Encyclopedia
The University of South Carolina School of Law, also known as South Carolina Law or SC Law, is one of the professional schools
of the University of South Carolina
. South Carolina Law was founded in 1867 in Columbia, South Carolina
and is the only public and non-profit law school in the state of South Carolina
. The school has been accredited by the American Bar Association
since 1925 and has been a member of the Association of American Law Schools
since 1924.
recommended to the board of trustees of South Carolina College (as the University was then known) that the school establish a professorship of the law to lecture to the two higher classes. A resolution of the statehouse in 1823 requested the college to consider "the propriety and advantage of establishing a Professorship of Law in that institution, and to report to this house, at the next session, the manner in which such a Professorship may be established, so as to be most advantageous to the community, and least expensive to the State." The trustees replied that a professor should be hired, but that the courses should be offered only to graduates. With that, the matter ended.
When the modern University of South Carolina was formed from South Carolina College in December 1865, the act doing so also authorized the trustees to hire one or more persons to form classes to instruct on the law under such terms as the trustees should decide. In 1866, the act was amended to require the trustees to do so on the quickest possible terms.
In January 1867, the trustees offered Chancellor J.A. Inglis the position, but he declined. In 1868, the offer was next made to Col. A.C. Haskell who accepted and held the post until August 1868. The course of study included the various branches of common law and equity, commercial, international, and constitutional law. Although the program was meant to cover two years, many students completed it in one. A moot court was also overseen by the professor to train students in the details of actual practice. Four students started in the program, and two graduated in June 1868.
The program lapsed during the 1868-1869 academic year, but resumed the following term under the direction of the Hon. C.D. Melton. The program continued until it was shuttered following the death of a subsequent professor, Chief Justice Franklin J. Moses
, in 1877.
The school resumed in 1884 under Col. Joseph Daniel Pope with a two year program that again was often completed in one. Professor Pope was given a small salary and the fees generated from tuition. Special provision was made for the teaching of short courses by leading members of the bar. The school also added minimum entrance standards at that time: An applicant had to be at least nineteen years old, have a good English education, and known enough Latin to readily understand legal terms and maxims. Juniors were instructed in the following subjects: "Organization and Jurisdiction of Courts of United States (Supreme, Circuit, and District Courts) and South Carolina (Supreme, Common Pleas, Sessions, Probate, and Trial Justice Courts); Sources of Municipal Law; Domestic Relations; Personal Property, and title to same; Administration, Wills, Contracts, Bailments, Bills and Notes, Principal and Agent, Corporations; Criminal Law, and herein of Torts and nuisances; Public and Private Law, Law of Evidence." Seniors were instructed in the following: "Pleadings and Practice; Law of Real Property; Equity Jurisprudence; Law of Conveyancing; Trial of Title to Land; Maritime Law and Law of Nations; State of Law of the State on subjects not read with the text and lectures of the course; Deeds, Recording, Habeas Corpus, etc." In addition, the juniors were required to write essays, while seniors were trained in court details in a moot court.
In 1937, the South Carolina Law Review
was established.
On July 27, 2011, the law school officially announced plans for a new building, to be located on a block between Senate, Gervais, Bull and Pickens streets in downtown Columbia. The new building will have 186,000 square feet and will reportedly cost $75 million to construct.
. The ILRG ranked South Carolina Law #68 overall in its 2009 ranking of law schools. The ILRG also has numerous other categories and ranks South Carolina law as the #75 most selective law school, #94 for job placement before graduation, #95 for job placement after 9 months, #27 for best bar passer rates among first time takers, and #44 when ranking the school versus the state average for bar passage rates. Law & Politics' 2010 ranking of law schools ranked South Carolina Law #38 overall. TLS' ranking of most desirable law schools lists South Carolina as the #10 most desirable law school in the country. Law.com ranks South Carolina law as #94 overall for best job placement and employment trends into "BigLaw". In 2010, The Hylton Rankings place South Carolina Law #90 overall among all law schools. Leiter's ranks South Carolina Law's Professor David G. Owen as #7 among most cited law professors in the field of Tort Law.
.
* The July 2007 results were revised upwards after the South Carolina Supreme Court threw out a section of the exam because of an error by a bar examiner.
Law school
A law school is an institution specializing in legal education.- Law degrees :- Canada :...
of the University of South Carolina
University of South Carolina
The University of South Carolina is a public, co-educational research university located in Columbia, South Carolina, United States, with 7 surrounding satellite campuses. Its historic campus covers over in downtown Columbia not far from the South Carolina State House...
. South Carolina Law was founded in 1867 in Columbia, South Carolina
Columbia, South Carolina
Columbia is the state capital and largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. The population was 129,272 according to the 2010 census. Columbia is the county seat of Richland County, but a portion of the city extends into neighboring Lexington County. The city is the center of a metropolitan...
and is the only public and non-profit law school in the state of South Carolina
South Carolina
South Carolina is a state in the Deep South of the United States that borders Georgia to the south, North Carolina to the north, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Originally part of the Province of Carolina, the Province of South Carolina was one of the 13 colonies that declared independence...
. The school has been accredited by the American Bar Association
American Bar Association
The American Bar Association , founded August 21, 1878, is a voluntary bar association of lawyers and law students, which is not specific to any jurisdiction in the United States. The ABA's most important stated activities are the setting of academic standards for law schools, and the formulation...
since 1925 and has been a member of the Association of American Law Schools
Association of American Law Schools
The Association of American Law Schools is a non-profit organization of 170 law schools in the United States. Another 25 schools are "non-member fee paid" schools, which are not members but choose to pay AALS dues. Its purpose is to improve the legal profession through the improvement of legal...
since 1924.
History
The discussion of starting a law program began as early as 1810 when President Jonathan MaxcyJonathan Maxcy
Jonathan Maxcy was the second president of Brown University ; the third president of Union College; and the first president of the University of South Carolina.Born in Attleboro, Massachusetts on September 2, 1768, Maxcy was educated at an academy in Wrentham, Massachusetts and...
recommended to the board of trustees of South Carolina College (as the University was then known) that the school establish a professorship of the law to lecture to the two higher classes. A resolution of the statehouse in 1823 requested the college to consider "the propriety and advantage of establishing a Professorship of Law in that institution, and to report to this house, at the next session, the manner in which such a Professorship may be established, so as to be most advantageous to the community, and least expensive to the State." The trustees replied that a professor should be hired, but that the courses should be offered only to graduates. With that, the matter ended.
When the modern University of South Carolina was formed from South Carolina College in December 1865, the act doing so also authorized the trustees to hire one or more persons to form classes to instruct on the law under such terms as the trustees should decide. In 1866, the act was amended to require the trustees to do so on the quickest possible terms.
In January 1867, the trustees offered Chancellor J.A. Inglis the position, but he declined. In 1868, the offer was next made to Col. A.C. Haskell who accepted and held the post until August 1868. The course of study included the various branches of common law and equity, commercial, international, and constitutional law. Although the program was meant to cover two years, many students completed it in one. A moot court was also overseen by the professor to train students in the details of actual practice. Four students started in the program, and two graduated in June 1868.
The program lapsed during the 1868-1869 academic year, but resumed the following term under the direction of the Hon. C.D. Melton. The program continued until it was shuttered following the death of a subsequent professor, Chief Justice Franklin J. Moses
Franklin J. Moses, Sr.
Franklin J. Moses, Sr., born Israel Franklin Moses, was an attorney, planter, politician and judge in South Carolina.-Early life:...
, in 1877.
The school resumed in 1884 under Col. Joseph Daniel Pope with a two year program that again was often completed in one. Professor Pope was given a small salary and the fees generated from tuition. Special provision was made for the teaching of short courses by leading members of the bar. The school also added minimum entrance standards at that time: An applicant had to be at least nineteen years old, have a good English education, and known enough Latin to readily understand legal terms and maxims. Juniors were instructed in the following subjects: "Organization and Jurisdiction of Courts of United States (Supreme, Circuit, and District Courts) and South Carolina (Supreme, Common Pleas, Sessions, Probate, and Trial Justice Courts); Sources of Municipal Law; Domestic Relations; Personal Property, and title to same; Administration, Wills, Contracts, Bailments, Bills and Notes, Principal and Agent, Corporations; Criminal Law, and herein of Torts and nuisances; Public and Private Law, Law of Evidence." Seniors were instructed in the following: "Pleadings and Practice; Law of Real Property; Equity Jurisprudence; Law of Conveyancing; Trial of Title to Land; Maritime Law and Law of Nations; State of Law of the State on subjects not read with the text and lectures of the course; Deeds, Recording, Habeas Corpus, etc." In addition, the juniors were required to write essays, while seniors were trained in court details in a moot court.
In 1937, the South Carolina Law Review
South Carolina Law Review
The South Carolina Law Review is a student-edited law review that was established in 1937. It covers South Carolina law and commentary on the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit. It also publishes the winning essays from the Warren E. Burger Writing Competition, which is sponsored...
was established.
Buildings
The law school is now located in the Law Center at 701 South Main Street. Moe's South West Grill, Domino's Pizza and Courtyard Columbia Downtown border on Devine Street the south and Fed/Ex Kinko's and the SC Bookstore are across Greene Street to the north. Assembly Street is on the west, and the Jones Building is on the east. The former DCP [changed from College Mart, which is located in the center of Five Points,] was at the corner of Harden street and Devine street.On July 27, 2011, the law school officially announced plans for a new building, to be located on a block between Senate, Gervais, Bull and Pickens streets in downtown Columbia. The new building will have 186,000 square feet and will reportedly cost $75 million to construct.
Ranking and recognition
The 2011 edition of US News and World Report's Best Law Schools saw South Carolina Law fall to the unranked third tier of schools. In response to the drop in rankings it was announced that that Dean Walter "Jack" Pratt would step down following the 2010-2011 academic year. The 2010 edition of US News and World Report's Best Law Schools ranked South Carolina Law was ranked 87th. South Carolina Law was also ranked #54 overall according to the 2010 ranking by the AALSAssociation of American Law Schools
The Association of American Law Schools is a non-profit organization of 170 law schools in the United States. Another 25 schools are "non-member fee paid" schools, which are not members but choose to pay AALS dues. Its purpose is to improve the legal profession through the improvement of legal...
. The ILRG ranked South Carolina Law #68 overall in its 2009 ranking of law schools. The ILRG also has numerous other categories and ranks South Carolina law as the #75 most selective law school, #94 for job placement before graduation, #95 for job placement after 9 months, #27 for best bar passer rates among first time takers, and #44 when ranking the school versus the state average for bar passage rates. Law & Politics' 2010 ranking of law schools ranked South Carolina Law #38 overall. TLS' ranking of most desirable law schools lists South Carolina as the #10 most desirable law school in the country. Law.com ranks South Carolina law as #94 overall for best job placement and employment trends into "BigLaw". In 2010, The Hylton Rankings place South Carolina Law #90 overall among all law schools. Leiter's ranks South Carolina Law's Professor David G. Owen as #7 among most cited law professors in the field of Tort Law.
Admissions
| 1996 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2003 | 2004 | 2006 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Applications | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | 1612 | 1609 | 2082 | 1975 | 2191 | 1972 |
| Accepted | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | 478 (30%) | 500 (31%) | 729 (35%) | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Enrolled | 250 | 218 | 225 | N/A | 225 | 240 | 225 | 229 | 240 | 240 | 213 |
| 75% LSAT/GPA | N/A | 158/3.56 | 159/3.55 | 159/3.58 | 159/3.55 | N/A | 161/3.70 | 160/3.7 | 160/3.70 | 161/3.64 | 160/3.63 |
| Median LSAT/GPA | 157/3.2 | 155/3.22 | 156/3.28 | 156/3.28 | 156/3.28 | 158/3.5 | 159/3.40 | 159/3.4 | 158/3.46 | 159/3.39 | 158/3.35 |
| 25% LSAT/GPA | N/A | 151/2.90 | 152/3.01 | 154/3.02 | 152/3.01 | N/A | 156/3.10 | 156/3.05 | 156/3.14 | 156/3.04 | 155/3.07 |
South Carolina bar exam passage
In South Carolina, the bar exam is administered twice a year—in July and February. July is the primary testing date for those who graduate in May. A much smaller group, generally out-of-state applicants, repeat takers, and December graduates, take the February exam. The South Carolina Supreme Court did not release the pass rate for specific schools' alumni until the July 2007 exam when the court separately listed the pass rate for the University of South Carolina and the Charleston School of LawCharleston School of Law
The Charleston School of Law is a for-profit private law school located in Charleston, South Carolina, established in 2003. The school was fully accredited by the American Bar Association in August 2011.-Inspiration and establishment:...
.
| Feb. | July | |
|---|---|---|
| 2007 | N/A | 91.5%* |
| 2008 | 64.7% | 86.4% |
| 2009 | 76.3% | 84.8% |
| 2010 | 66.7% | 83.8% |
| 2011 | 69.6 | 79.75% |
* The July 2007 results were revised upwards after the South Carolina Supreme Court threw out a section of the exam because of an error by a bar examiner.
Sources
- Edwin L. Green, A History of the University of South Carolina 236-40 (1916) (on the history of the law school).