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Article published Sep 1, 2003

Report: Charleston Law School
Able to Open Next Year

The Associated Press

Supporters of a proposed private Charleston law school should be able to start their school next year, according to a report by a consulting team hired by the South Carolina Commission on Higher Education.

The 13-member commission is expected to vote Thursday on whether to issue the Charleston School of Law a conditional license. That vote is crucial for the school to begin holding classes next year.

Law school spokesman Alex Sanders, a retired state judge and former president of the College of Charleston, said the school hopes to enroll 120 students paying $25,000 each for a year's tuition. If it receives commission approval, the school will have to meet standards set by the consulting team and the commission.

State law requires the commission to ensure new schools are financially solvent and meet academic standards. The Charleston School of Law would be the first significant graduate school venture in the state in years.

It also would be an asset for Charleston. The city already has the College of Charleston, The Citadel and the Medical University of South Carolina. The new law school would be South Carolina's second law school and a potential rival to the University of South Carolina School of Law in Columbia.

But Sanders said Charleston will differ from USC's law school. For one, the tuition will be higher because it is private. Charleston's tuition of $25,000 a year compares with about $12,000 a year for in-state USC law school students.

The school also will have lower admissions standards, especially in law school admission tests. Many of its students wouldn't be able to get into USC law school, Sanders said.

Last year, USC law school had 1,715 applications. It accepted about 440 and enrolled 243. Many of those students who can't get into USC law school go to out-of-state law schools, Sanders said.

Frank Mood, interim dean of the USC School of Law, said USC has no official position on the new law school. On one hand, competition from a new school is "healthy and good," Mood said. On the other hand, he wondered how many Charleston law school graduates would be able to find jobs.

"We are filling the need for lawyers in South Carolina," said Mood, noting that about 90 percent of USC law school grads find work within six months after graduation.

Some critics fear the new law school would become part of the state-funded, public College of Charleston. At that point, the Charleston law school would begin to compete for scarce public funds with the USC School of Law.

Sanders said that fear is unfounded. The commission staff has recommended that if the new law school ever tried to become part of the College of Charleston, "the license granted to the school shall be null and void and immediately revoked."

Sanders said the new school already has a dean. Richard Gershon recently led the Texas Wesleyan School of Law to full accreditation by the American Bar Association. The Charleston law school will need that accreditation.