South Carolina Bar News April 2012 : Page 1

SC BAR NEWS April 2012 | Vol. 24, No. 4 FEATURED ARTICLES: 2 3 A New Look for Casemaker Legal Research Young Lawyers Help Local High School Girls Get to the Ball Recognition of High School Mock Trial Volunteers Pro Bono Honor Roll—I’m In! 27 28 Strom Thurmond High School wins state mock trial championship STUDENTS FROM STROM THURMOND HIGH SCHOOL OF JOHNSTON PLACED FIRST AMONG 11 OTHER S.C. HIGH SCHOOLS that competed in the state mock trial competition March 9-10 at the Matthew J. Perry Jr. Federal Courthouse in Columbia. This win marks the school’s fourth state title. The Strom Mock Trial , continued on page 26. RECURRING: 24 4 32 14 22 6 20 17 12 Bar Bytes Bar Foundation News Calendar CLE News Ethics Advisory Opinions Firm Announcements Health and Wellness Judicial Advisory Opinions Lawyers Helping Lawyers Legal Administrator News Lending Library Spotlight Risk Management Important notice about your information in the Lawyers Desk Book : Production of the 2012-13 Lawyers Desk Book is underway, and address changes made by June 1 will be reflected in the new edi-tion. All changes in contact information are handled by the S.C. Attorney Information System (AIS) exclusively, and you must log on to AIS to update your information. Complete contact information will be published for all Bar members, to include name, organiza-tion, mailing address, phone and fax numbers, and e-mail addresses. Please review your information carefully, as it will be published as entered in AIS. 10 16 18

Strom Thurmond High School Wins State Mock Trial Championship

Students From Strom Thurmond High School Of Johnston Placed First Among 11 Other S.C. High Schools That Competed In The State Mock Trial Competition March 9-10 At The Matthew J. Perry Jr. Federal Courthouse In Columbia. This Win Marks The School’s Fourth State Title. The Strom Thurmond team was presented with the Westbrook Award, created in 2006 in honor of the late Hon. Marc H. Westbrook, and will advance to the national competition May 3-6 in Albuquerque, NM. The team was led by teacher coaches Jeffrey Bryan, Denise Jackson and Steven McKinney and attorney coaches Sen. Shane Massey and Blair Massey. Sen. Massey, a graduate of Strom Thurmond High School, is a former mock trial participant. Jackson was also a mock trial teacher coach during two years the school earned the state title in the 1980s. Bob Jones Academy of Greenville, led by teacher coaches Michael Murphy, Ben Adams, Valerie Myers and Jennifer Olinger and attorney coach Jon Gregory, was first runner-up. Bob Jones Academy has won the state title five times in previous years and was named national champion in 2004. Other participating schools were Chapin High School, Fort Dorchester High School, Greenwood High School, Lexington High School, the Montessori School of Anderson, N. Myrtle Beach High School, Socastee High School, Spring Valley High School, Wando High School and Wilson High School. The competing teams were winners from February’s regional competitions that were held in Greenville, Charleston, Conway and Lexington. During both phases of the competition, students presented the plaintiff and defense sides of a fictitious case before a panel of volunteer lawyers. Additionally, students filled the roles of defendant, witnesses and bailiff. Each team was judged on its presentation skills rather than the legal merits of the case. The roles of courtroom sketch artist and courtroom journalist were introduced in the 2011 competition and returned this year to broaden participation across a more diverse group of students.n Six entries from each category advanced to the state competition, where these students recorded their observations from the proceedings through sketches and articles. Entries were judged the week following the competition by local reporters, graphic designers and artists. The winners will receive a certificate and framed copy of their work. The mock trial program is sponsored by the South Carolina Bar’s Law Related Education (LRE) Division, which was developed in 1976 to improve the ability of teachers to instruct law related education. The mock trial program is made possible through an IOLTA grant from the S. C. Bar Foundation and additional funding from the S.C. Bar. Competitions would not be possible without the support of volunteers who serve as attorney coaches, scoring judges and presiding judges. See the following page for a list of these volunteers.

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