South Carolina Bar News February 2012 : Page 1

SC BAR NEWS February 2012 | Vol. 24, No. 3 FEATURED ARTICLES: 2 3 3 13 26 Board and House actions Scholars Academy wins We the People competition Board members elected Senior Lawyers recognize essay writers Section council slates pro-posed Convention Attracts Record Attendance THE 2012 S.C. BAR CONVENTION WAS HELD JAN. 19-21 IN COLUMBIA. This event, the first held in Columbia since the 1980s, broke previous attendance records with more than 1,500 attendees, including attorneys, judges, guests, faculty and exhibitors. Perhaps most noteworthy of the 2012 Convention was a rare and special appearance by two U.S. Supreme Court Justices—Associate Justice Antonin Scalia and Associate Justice Stephen Breyer. In his remarks to the House of Delegates, Bar President Marvin Quattlebaum stated, “We have a star-studded line-up with Supreme Court Justices, a U.S. Senator, music stars and university presidents … what a great honor to our Bar that [Justices Scalia and Breyer] have selected our Convention as one of the few public appearances they make.” Justices Scalia and Breyer addressed a sell-out crowd of more than 450 Bar members and their guests during a luncheon on Saturday, Jan. 21. They discussed a number of constitutional issues in a debate-style format moderated by Charles Bierbauer, dean of the USC College of Mass Communications and Information Studies. Topics addressed included the judicial confirmation process, cameras in the courtroom, federal campaign finance laws and the utility of oral arguments. Sen. Lindsey Graham introduced Justices Scalia and Breyer, stating, “Being a lawyer is tough, everybody hates lawyers until they need one, but after you hear these two guys, you will be proud of what you do.” Graham Convention , continued on page 17. RECURRING: 24 4 28 14 23 6 20 17 12 10 16 18 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

Convention Attracts Record Attendance

THE 2012 S.C. BAR CONVENTION WAS HELD JAN. 19-21 IN COLUMBIA. This event, the first held in Columbia since the 1980s, broke previous attendance records with more than 1,500 attendees, including attorneys, judges, guests, faculty and exhibitors. Perhaps most noteworthy of the 2012 Convention was a rare and special appearance by two U.S. Supreme Court Justices—Associate Justice Antonin Scalia and Associate Justice Stephen Breyer. In his remarks to the House of Delegates, Bar President Marvin Quattlebaum stated, “We have a star-studded line-up with Supreme Court Justices, a U. S. Senator, music stars and university presidents … what a great honor to our Bar that [Justices Scalia and Breyer] have selected our Convention as one of the few public appearances they make.” Justices Scalia and Breyer addressed a sell-out crowd of more than 450 Bar members and their guests during a luncheon on Saturday, Jan. 21. They discussed a number of constitutional issues in a debate-style format moderated by Charles Bierbauer, dean of the USC College of Mass Communications and Information Studies. Topics addressed included the judicial confirmation process, cameras in the courtroom, federal campaign finance laws and the utility of oral arguments. Sen. Lindsey Graham introduced Justices Scalia and Breyer, stating, “Being a lawyer is tough, everybody hates lawyers until they need one, but after you hear these two guys, you will be proud of what you do.” Graham also stressed the importance of an independent judiciary, stating that the confirmation process should not be used “as an opportunity to advance political causes at the expense of everyday people in America.” Earlier in the program, Quattlebaum presented Graham with a resolution adopted by the Bar’s Board of Governors recognizing his commitment to the legal profession. Convention attendees also heard S.C. Supreme Court Chief Justice Jean Toal’s State of the Judiciary remarks during the plenary luncheon, where the Bar Foundation’s prestigious DuRant Award was presented to David A. Merline of Greenville. Plenary luncheon attendees were also treated to remarks by Furman University President Rod Smolla and a special performance by the Benedict College Gospel Choir, with introduction by Jim Sonefield of Hootie and the Blowfish. The lives of nine deceased Bar members were honored and remembered through the Memory Hold the Door Ceremony, and 2012 Pro Bono Award recipients Louis T. Runge Jr., Bradford T. Cunningham and Sowell, Gray, Stepp and Laffitte, LLC were recognized during the Foundation Gala. Look for photos from these and other events in the March issue of the South Carolina Lawyer and on the Bar’s Facebook page (www.facebook.com/southcarolinabar). The 2013 Convention will be held January 24-27, 2013, at the Myrtle Beach Marriott Resort at Grande Dunes. Throughout the year, get updates on what to expect in Myrtle Beach from www.scbar.org/convention, which launched Feb. 1.

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