SC Bar

South Carolina Bar's E-Blast
Volume 495 - December 6, 2007

Welcome to the South Carolina Bar's E-Blast!
E-Blast highlights upcoming activities, legal information and links to the Bar's Web site at www.scbar.org.

The South Carolina Bar is dedicated to advancing justice, professionalism and understanding of the law.

Judicial candidates nominated
Public hearings for judicial candidates were held beginning on Tuesday, December 4. The following candidates were found qualified and nominated.
Supreme Court, Seat 3: Hon. John C. Few, Greenville; Hon. Kaye G. Hearn, Conway; Hon. John W. Kittredge, Greenville.
Court of Appeals, Seat 6: Hon. John D. Geathers, Columbia; Hon. J. Mark Hayes II, Spartanburg; Hon. Aphrodite Konduros, Greenville.
Circuit Court, Ninth Judicial Circuit, Seat 2: Kristi Lea Harrington, Hanahan; Hon. Jack A. Landis, Moncks Corner; William J. Thrower, Hollywood.
Circuit Court, At-Large, Seat 11: Alison Renee Lee, Columbia.
Circuit Court, At-Large, Seat 12: Hon. Thomas A. Russo, Florence.
Circuit Court, At-Large, Seat 13: Allen O. Fretwell, Greenville; Eugene C. Griffith Jr., Newberry; Larry B. Hyman Jr., Conway.
Family Court, Fourth Judicial Circuit, Seat 3: Hon. James A. Spruill, Cheraw.
Family Court, Fifth Judicial Circuit, Seat 3: Dana A. Morris, Camden; Hon. Jeffrey M. Tzerman, Camden.
Family Court, Sixth Judicial Circuit, Seat 2: Betsy White Burton, Winnsboro; Coreen B. Khoury, Lancaster; W. Thomas Sprott Jr., Winnsboro.
Family Court, Ninth Judicial Circuit, Seat 5: Hon. Jocelyn B. Cate, Hollywood.
Family Court, 13th Judicial Circuit, Seat 5: Hon. Robert N. Jenkins Sr., Travelers Rest.
Family Court, 14th Judicial Circuit, Seat 2: Catherine D. Badgett, Ridgeland; Sally G. Calhoun, Beaufort; Peter L. Fuge, Bluffton.
Family Court, 15th Judicial Circuit, Seat 3: Melissa Johnson Emery, Myrtle Beach; Anita R. Floyd, Garden City; Ronald R. Norton, Murrells Inlet.
Administrative Law Court, Seat 5: Hon. Paige J. Gossett, Columbia.
Master-in-Equity, Berkeley County: Hon. Robert E. Watson, Moncks Corner.
Master-in-Equity, Georgetown County: Joe M. Crosby, Georgetown.
Master-in-Equity, Sumter County: Richard L. Booth, Sumter.
Retired: Hon. James E. Moore (Supreme Court), Hon. Edward B. Cottingham (Circuit Court), Hon. C. Victor Pyle Jr. (Circuit Court), Hon. Haskell T. Abbott III (Family Court), Hon. Wylie H. Caldwell Jr. (Family Court)

Court appointment funding available
$2.5 million dollars is earmarked for the reimbursement of civil case court appointments and available for disbursement. The funds are administered through the S.C. Commission on Indigent Defense (SCCID) and are dedicated for use in reimbursing private lawyers appointed to represent indigents in civil cases including termination of parental rights, abuse and neglect, probate court commitments, sexually violent predator and post conviction relief matters. These funds were allocated on a one-time basis. In order to make the case for a recurring appropriation, Bar members are strongly encouraged to apply for reimbursement to SCCID. Funds are also available through SCCID for reimbursement of appointed criminal cases. For information on submitting a voucher, please visit www.sccid.sc.gov or contact Hugh Ryan at hryan@sccid.sc.gov. The Commission continues to work on the development of a contract system for the handling of civil case appointments.

You be the coach or judge. Volunteer for mock trial today!
The Law Related Education (LRE) Division is seeking additional volunteers for its high school mock trial program. The following high schools are just a few of many participating at the end of February in regional competitions (in Columbia, Conway, Greenville, Spartanburg and Charleston) and are in need of an attorney coach. Coaching mock trial teams offers the opportunity to bond with kids while teaching the legal process and trial procedure.

York County: Nations Ford High School
Fairfield County: Fairfield Central High School
Charleston County: Academic Magnet High School
Dorchester County: Pinewood Preparatory School
Florence County: Wilson High School
Richland County: Blythewood High School
Lexington County: Chapin High School
Horry County: Carolina Forest High School
Clarendon County: Scotts Branch High School

 

We are also seeking additional volunteer judges—enjoy the thrill of competition while scoring and presiding over trials! Both are very rewarding volunteer opportunities—let us hear from you today! To volunteer as an attorney coach, contact Donald Lanier at (803) 799-2013, ext. 156 or dlanier@scbar.org. To volunteer as a scoring or presiding judge, contact Cyndi Nickerson at (803) 799-2013, ext. 184 or cnickerson@scbar.org. For more information on the mock trial program, visit http://www.scbar.org/member/lre.

Harry Dest elected 16th Circuit Chief Public Defender
Harry Dest has been appointed by the S.C. Commission on Indigent Defense as the Circuit Public Defender for the 16th Judicial Circuit, to become effective January 1, 2008. He is the first circuit public defender to be appointed pursuant to the new S.C. Indigent Defense Act of 2007. There will be an installation ceremony for Harry on Thursday, December 13, at 5 p.m. at the old York County Courthouse. The courthouse is located at the corner of Liberty and Congress Streets in York. All members of the S.C. Bar and Judiciary are invited to attend.

Casemaker® tip
Casemaker's Exclusion Function can be used to prohibit undesired cases from being offered to the user
By placing a hyphen (-) immediately before (no spaces allowed between the hyphen and the word to be excluded) the term to be eliminated from the search, Casemaker will display only those cases which have desired search terms. For example, property -commercial would most likely yield strictly private property cases. Users are able to insert multiple combinations. Entering the words gross sexual imposition -rape would eliminate all rape cases. Drown -swimming -pool would yield cases in which the word drown would appear, but swimming and pool would not. This useful feature and other search tools allow Casemaker users the flexibility to quickly discover the cases that accurately put them on point. For assistance using Casemaker, e-mail casemaker@scbar.org or call (803) 799-6653, ext. 183.

Advancing professionalism
The South Carolina Bar publishes its Standards of Professionalism for lawyers each year in the Lawyers Desk Book. In the 2007-08 edition, the standards are on pages 589-594. Members are encouraged to review them periodically for guidance in their professional lives. The standards are also available online at http://www.scbar.org/member/documents/professionalism_standards.pdf.

Calling all writers: SEAK solicits submissions of legal fiction
SEAK, Inc., a medical-legal education company, is sponsoring its seventh annual legal fiction writing competition for lawyers. The deadline for submissions is March 31, 2008. For more information, visit www.seak.com.

Firm announcements
Grimball & Cabaniss, LLC announces that Harry V. Ragsdale has become an associate of the firm located at 473 Savannah Hwy., Charleston 29407. (843) 722-0311.

McDowell Law Offices announces that John Edward Robinson has become an associate of the firm located at 36 Broad St., Charleston 29401. (843) 723-5152.

The S.C. Bankers Association announces that A. O’Neil Rashley Jr. has become senior vice president and counsel with offices located at 2009 Park St., Columbia 29202. (803) 779-0850.

Sowell Gray Stepp & Laffitte, LLC announcesthat Nicolas L. Haigler has joined the firm located at 1310 Gadsden St., Columbia 29211. (803) 929-1400.

Calendar
December 7
Project Citizen Training, Bar Building

December 12
Elder Law Committee Meeting, Bar Building

December 13
Board of Governors Meeting, Bar Building
Family Law Section Council Meeting, Bar Building

December 14
Probate, Estate Planning & Trust Section Council Meeting, Conference Call

December 18
Criminal Law Section Council Meeting, Bar Building
Trial and Appellate Advocacy Section Council Meeting, Conference Call

Upcoming CLE seminars
2007 South Carolina Family Court Bench/Bar
Friday, December 7
Live at Midlands Technical College Airport Campus Academic Center, 1260 Lexington Dr., West Columbia and via South Carolina-ETV closed circuit television to 11 video-CLE sites statewide
Registration: 8:30 a.m., Program begins: 8:55 a.m., Program adjourns: 4:45 p.m.

 

Monday, December 10
Morning Seminar: Ethics Roadshow: Managing Law Firm Technology with Mark Bassingthwaighte and Barbara Brunson
Live Only at Hyatt Regency, 220 N. Main St., Greenville
Registration: 8:30 a.m., Program begins: 8:55 a.m., Program adjourns: 12:15 p.m.

Afternoon Seminar: Video Replay: Roger Dodd’s Cross Examination of Expert Witnesses
Hyatt Regency, 220 N. Main St., Greenville
Registration: 1:15 p.m., Program begins: 1:30 p.m., Program adjourns: 4:15 p.m.

 

Tuesday, December 11
Morning Seminar: Ethics Roadshow: Managing Law Firm Technology with Mark Bassingthwaighte and Barbara Brunson
Live Only at South Carolina Hospital Association, 1000 Center Point Rd., Columbia
Registration: 8:30 a.m., Program begins: 8:55 a.m., Program adjourns: 12:15 p.m.

Afternoon Seminar: Video Replay: Roger Dodd’s Cross Examination of Expert Witnesses
South Carolina Hospital Association, 1000 Center Point Rd., Columbia
Registration: 1:15 p.m., Program begins: 1:30 p.m., Program adjourns: 4:15 p.m.

 

Wednesday, December 12
Morning Seminar: Ethics Roadshow: Managing Law Firm Technology with Mark Bassingthwaighte and Barbara Brunson
Live Only at Myrtle Beach Marriott Resort at Grand Dunes, 8400 Costa Verde Dr., Myrtle Beach
Registration: 8:30 a.m., Program begins: 8:55 a.m., Program adjourns: 12:15 p.m.

Afternoon Seminar: Video Replay: Roger Dodd’s Cross Examination of Expert Witnesses
Myrtle Beach Marriott Resort at Grand Dunes, 8400 Costa Verde Dr., Myrtle Beach
Registration: 1:15 p.m., Program begins: 1:30 p.m., Program adjourns: 4:15 p.m.

 

Thursday, December 13
Morning Seminar: Ethics Roadshow: Managing Law Firm Technology with Mark Bassingthwaighte and Barbara Brunson
Live Only at Charleston Marriott Hotel, 170 Lockwood Blvd., Charleston
Registration: 8:30 a.m., Program begins: 8:55 a.m., Program adjourns: 12:15 p.m.

Afternoon Seminar: Video Replay: Roger Dodd’s Cross Examination of Expert Witnesses
Charleston Marriott Hotel, 170 Lockwood Blvd., Charleston
Registration: 1:15 p.m., Program begins: 1:30 p.m., Program adjourns: 4:15 p.m.

 

Friday, December 14
Morning Seminar: Ethics Roadshow: Managing Law Firm Technology with Mark Bassingthwaighte and Barbara Brunson
Live Only at Hampton Inn Hilton Head, 1 Dillon Rd., Hilton Head
Registration: 8:30 a.m., Program begins: 8:55 a.m., Program adjourns: 12:15 p.m.

Afternoon Seminar: Video Replay: Roger Dodd’s Cross Examination of Expert Witnesses
Charleston Hampton Inn Hilton Head, 1 Dillon Rd., Hilton Head
Registration: 1:15 p.m., Program begins: 1:30 p.m., Program adjourns: 4:15 p.m.

Teleseminars/Webcasts
For teleseminar/telewebinar registration, please visit http://www.scbar.org/events/index.pl?cmd=opencal&cal=cal4 and click on the program of your choice. If you have difficulty registering for these seminars, please call (803) 771-0333, ext. 125 or (800) 768-7787, ext. 125 or e-mail Jean Merrill at jmerrill@scbar.org.

New online releases!
Smoke and Mirrors: The Fabrication and Alteration of Electronic Evidence—Audio Online Only
Featuring John Simek
This seminar qualifies for 1.0 MCLE credit hour.

 

How to Manage Lawyer Trust Accounts to Comply with the Safekeeping Rules, Part II
Featuring Gary W. Richards
This seminar qualifies for 1.0 MCLE credit hour, including up to 1.0 LEPR credit hour.

 

Gain the Edge!® Latz's Golden Rules of Negotiation Part B
Featuring Martin E. Latz
This seminar qualifies for 1.0 MCLE credit hour.

 

Substance Abuse & Dependence in the Legal Profession
Featuring Brian Dumas and Dr. Elin Berg
This seminar qualifies for 1.5 MCLE credit hours, including up to 1.5 LEPR credit hours.

Publications
After-Thanksgiving CLE publication sale ends tomorrow
The SC Bar-CLE Division After-Thanksgiving Publications Sale ends tomorrow, Friday, December 7, at 5 p.m. Selected CLE publications are offered at a 25 percent discount. Any orders received after 5 p.m. on Friday will be filled at the regular sale price, and no other discounts will apply. No exceptions. Please use the link listed below to download and view the Publications Sale Catalog. Orders may be placed by faxing or mailing the order form found in the sale catalog or by calling Publications Coordinator Vera Belton at (803) 771-0333, ext. 126. Mailed orders must be postmarked by December 7. If you order sale items via the online publications store, your discount will be applied during processing. If you have questions, please contact Vera Belton at 803-771-0333/800-768-7787, ext. 126 or vbelton@scbar.org.