Join the South Carolina Bar Foundation on Thursday, October 25 from 5:30-9:00PM for our inaugural Farm to Table Fundraising Dinner at Nelson Mullins.

5:30 – 6:30 PM: Enjoy a cocktail hour on the rooftop terrace of Nelson Mullins overlooking the Columbia skyline.
7- 9 PM: Attendees will indulge in dinner prepared by Farm to Table Company and hear from one of our grantees on the impact you make through your support and contributions to the SC Bar Foundation.

What does my ticket include?
– One signature cocktail + beer and wine during cocktail hour
– 3-course farm to table meal with wine pairing

Tickets:
$105/single
$190/couple

Tickets go on sale Tuesday, September 25 at 9AM.

Meal*:
First Course: Salad & Grilled Seasonal Vegetables
Main Course: Wood Grilled Southern Farms Bistro Steak with herbed City Roots Oyster Mushrooms, Rosemary Fingerling Potatoes and Seasonal Vegetable 
Dessert Course: North Carolina Apple Crisp

*A vegetarian option is available upon request.

Thank you to our sponsors! Without you we would not be able to host such a wonderful event.

Cocktail Hour Sponsor

First Course Sponsor
George & Mary Denis Cauthen

Main Course Sponsor

Dessert Sponsor

Questions or want to become a sponsor? Contact Ashley Pullen at apullen@scbar.org or 803-576-3791.

We currently have the following books for sale. If you would like a copy, please fill out the below form.

Littlejohn’s South Carolina Judicial History (1930 – 2004), Bruce Littlejohn

Littlejohn’s Political Memoirs (1934 – 1988), Bruce Littlejohn

Generations of Lawyers: A History of the South Carolina Bar, George C. Rogers, Jr.

40 Years of Excellence in Law, South Carolina Chapter, American College of Trial Lawyers (1955 – 1995), Julius W. McKay

Please make a check payable to:
SC Bar Foundation
P.O. Box 608
Columbia, SC 29202

or click here to pay online.

We can’t believe that fiscal year 2019 is right around the corner! A new fiscal year means we are gearing up for new grant applications.

This past Friday we launched our FY19 Grant Application. Wondering if you qualify for the grant? Here are some of the guidelines that we use to determine eligibility:

• Applicants must qualify as a tax-exempt non-profit organization pursuant to Section 501(c)(3) or related section of the Internal Revenue Code.
• Provide civil legal service to indigents in South Carolina.
• Provide law related education to the public in South Carolina.
• Improve the administration of justice in South Carolina.

If you are unsure if your organization falls within our three categories (civil legal service, law related education and administration of justice), you can find detailed descriptions here.

The deadline to apply for our FY19 grant cycle is Friday, March 23 at 5:00 PM. 

December graduates of the University of South Carolina were given three hopes by U.S. Supreme Court Associate Justice Stephen Breyer on Monday, December 18 at their 2017 commencement exercise. Those hopes were to find someone to love, find a rewarding job and to spend a decent amount of time working in pubic service.

Breyer’s remarks started by speaking to the graduates about The Rule of Law and how it only work when the country’s citizens, not just judges and lawyers, take action. He told students that if they “don’t participate, this document doesn’t work”, referring to the U.S. Constitution. “It is this document that allows people to live together in peace,” said Breyer.

Breyer cited a conversation he had with the chief justice of the Supreme Court of Ghana. He said she asked him, “Why do people do what you say?” He then spoke to the students about several key court cases in which citizens did not follow the order of the judge. First citing Cherokee Nation v. Georgia and then citing Brown v. Board of Education. All tying back to the idea that if citizens do not participate in their community, the Constitution does not work.

After receiving degrees from Stanford University, the University of Oxford’s Magdalen College and Harvard Law School, Breyer taught at Harvard from 1967 to 1994. He also held several other prominent positions before being nominated to the Supreme Court by President Bill Clinton in 1994. He authored the 2010 book “Making Our Democracy Work.”

Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer receives an honorary degree from the University of South Carolina board secretary Cantey Heath and board member William Hubbard.

The South Carolina Bar Foundation is proud to announce that Elizabeth Van Doren Gray, member of Sowell Gray Robinson Stepp and Laffitte, LLC, has been selected as the 2017 DuRant Distinguished Public Service Award recipient for meritorious service to the law and community.

The DuRant Distinguished Public Service Award was established in 1980 in memory of Charlton DuRant. Mr. DuRant was a well-known Manning attorney who served as state senator and special associate justice of the SC Supreme Court. This award is one of the most prestigious statewide honors that members of the Bar can bestow on a fellow attorney.  Recipients are nominated by their professional peers and selected by the South Carolina Bar Foundation Board. 

Ms. Gray is an accomplished litigator at Sowell Gray Robinson; her practice includes commercial litigation, probate and estate litigation, professional liability and ethics, and securities and FINRA. She earned her juris doctor and bachelor of arts degrees from the University of South Carolina.

In addition to being a gifted attorney, Ms. Gray has received many accolades for her service to the legal community.  She was selected to be the second woman president of the South Carolina Bar.  She received the 2016 Fellows Award presented by the National Conference of Bar Presidents.  This award recognizes the accomplishments of a past president of a bar association who has demonstrated a continuing commitment to leadership, the work of the organized bar and the purpose of the NCBP.  She has also been the recipient of the South Carolina Lawyers Weekly Leadership in Law Award, the South Carolina Women Lawyers Association Jean Galloway Bissell Award, and the TWIN Award from the Palmetto Center for Women. Her service to the legal community also includes:

• Member, Chief Justice’s Commission on the Profession
• Chair of the United States Magistrate Merit Selection Panel
• Chair of the Statewide and Regional Citizens Advisory Committee of the Judicial Merit Selection Commission and,
• Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers, American Bar Foundation and Litigation Counsel of America

Ms. Gray is also very involved in community service:

• 20 Years Strong Service Project: Helping the community with legal advice
• Current Chair of the Board of Trustees of the Still Hopes Episcopal Retirement Community
• Former member and Board of Directors of the University of South Carolina Educational Foundation

We are pleased to announce the 17 young lawyers who were chosen as our FY18 Ambassadors.

The Ambassadors program was established in 2015 to introduce newer lawyers to the foundation and the organizations we support.  The goal is to raise awareness of the SCBF mission throughout the South Carolina legal community and beyond.  The Ambassador program provides a great opportunity for newer lawyers to network with a variety of lawyers on our board and with our grantee-partners.

In order to be eligible, the young lawyers needed to be in good standings with the SC Bar, a member of the SB Bar YLD and live or work in South Carolina. These 17 young lawyers went through an application processes and were chosen by our Executive Director.

FY18 Ambassadors:

Brooke Allen, South Carolina Department of Social Services
Josh Bennett, Roger Townsend & Thomas, PC
Joe Cunningham, Lyles & Lyles, LLC
Liz Fulton, Pritchard Law Group, LLC
Tiffany Gibson, South Carolina Department of Social Services
Bruce Greenberg, McAngus Goudelock & Courie, LLC
Robert Hawk, Ethridge Law Group, LLC
Alec Hogsette, Turner Padget
Andrew Johnson, Law Office of Kenneth E. Berger, LLC
Catherine Kopiec, Rogers Townsend & Thomas, PC
Casey Martens, MHC Law
Alexis Wimberly McCumber, Brown & Varnado LLC
Thomas Rode, Thurmond Kirchner & Timbes Law Firm
Molly Stanton, S.C. Department of Commerce
Justine Tate, ADAMS AND REESE LLP
Tasha Thompson, Scott & Corley, P.A.
Cameron Tommey, US Endowment for Forestry and Communities

Today our Executive Director, Megan Seiner, and Director of Marketing, Ashley Pullen, had the opportunity to accompany local media on a tour of the new University of South Carolina School of Law building located on the north edge of campus in the block bounded by Gervais, Bull, Senate and Pickens street. The building broke ground on September 14, 2014 and summer classes will be begin in the new building on May 30.

This 19th-century inspired building is three-stories and features exterior limestone and brick on a granite base, a multi-story grand lobby and a large center courtyard. Inside, the building is home to 17 classrooms that range in size from 20 – 95 seats. There are two dedicated courtrooms, and the 300-seat Karen J. Williams Courtroom also serves as a large classroom and an auditorium for law school and university events.

The first floor features student service offices, a bookstore, a cafe and student common areas for conversation and collaboration. Each of the 26 group study rooms come with a garnet wall that students can use as a dry erase board. The Deans’ administrative offices and faculty offices are on the second floor along with a large reading room and a patio that overlooks the courtyard. The third floor holds the Law School clinics and more faculty offices. The offices for the Pro Bono program, Moot Court and Mock Trial teams, the Student Bar Association and the S.C. Law Review and three other law journals are all located on the second and third floor.

The building is projected to earn a Silver LEED certification for its design, construction, operations and maintenance.

Check out more photos >>>

Midlands Gives brings the region together as one community, raising money and awareness for Midlands nonprofits during the 24-hour online giving challenge. During Midlands Gives, everyone has the opportunity to be a philanthropist as contributions of just $20 or more are amplified through sponsored prize incentives.

This year we are excited to have five grantee partners participating in Midlands Gives:

SC Appleseed Legal Justice Center
Richland County CASA
Midlands Mediation Center
Sistercare
Catholic Charities Office of Immigration Service (Midlands)

Discover more about Midlands Gives and how to donate on May 2 >>>

South Carolina Lawyers Weekly will host the ninth annual Leadership in Law awards event on Friday, March 27, 2017 at the Francis Marion Hotel in Charleston, SC.

The event will recognize attorneys from across the Palmetto State who have achieved success in their law practice, made contributions to society and had an impact on the legal profession. Three of the Bar Foundation’s board members, Rene Josey, Marie-Louise Ramsdale and Chris Koon, will be recognized in the 2017 Class of Honorees.

A top ‘Lawyer of the Year’ award will be selected out of the 2017 class of honorees and revealed the night of the event.

If you are interested in attending the event, click here.