Service work vital for lawyer-to-be

By Diane Knich
dknich@postandcourier.com
Saturday, May 14, 2011

Allison Roberts was drawn to the Charleston School of Law by its public service mission.

Roberts, 25, is one of 164 students who will graduate today. U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina will give the commencement address. It is the fifth class to graduate from the school, which opened in 2004.

Students are required to complete at least 30 hours of pro bono work before they graduate, but Roberts has completed more than 100 hours. The school attracts students who are committed to service, Roberts said. Pro bono work "was required, but everyone wanted to do it anyway."

Roberts, from Statesboro, Ga., completed an internship as a student clerk for the Supreme Court of Uganda two summers ago. Last summer she interned with the United Nations in Cambodia, gathering witness stories so war crimes committed by the Khmer Rouge could be prosecuted.

She also helped with a project to collect prom dresses for students who couldn't afford them, fundraising events, and many blood drives.

She plans to work as a legal assistant at a Charleston law firm until she passes the bar exam. Then she hopes to land a job at an international or nonprofit organization.

Law school Dean Andy Abrams said the school was launched "with the hope and expectation that there really was a demand for that kind of legal education." And it's taken hold. "What began as a vision now is a reality," he said.

Students are passing the bar exam and getting jobs, and the school is developing a regional legal reputation.

The school earned provisional accreditation in 2006, which was the highest level it could have earned at that time, he said.

Abrams said he expects to complete the full accreditation process this summer or early in the fall. The Class of 2012 will graduate from a law school that is fully accredited, he said.