If you are one of the future law students who want to study in South Carolina but don’t know the law schools that are in the state, here are the best law schools that are situated in South Carolina.
Endeavor to read this guide to the end, to enable you to know the various schools and their specific characteristics.
Overview
South Carolina may not be the first state people think of when they think of law schools. Most people’s minds probably go to the Ivy League schools in the Northeastern United States, or to schools located around the nation’s capital of Washington, D.C.
South Carolina is a beautiful coastal state in the Southeastern United States that also happens to be home to two of the country’s top-ranked law schools.
These two law schools are nonetheless strong and have well-respected programs in the United States. See Best Law Schools in the World.
One important thing to keep in mind is that in order to practice law in any given state, an attorney must pass the bar exam specific to that state.
So, for future lawyers who intend to practice in South Carolina or the immediate surrounding regions, going to law school can be a wise choice when it comes to passing the bar and forging local industry connections.
The primary source of national law school rankings is US News and World Report, which puts out a list of the top law schools in the country, updated annually.
Some of the key metrics US News takes into account are ABA accreditation, the percentage of students who pass the bar the first time, school resources, job placement success, quality of student-faculty interactions, and the law school’s reputation among its peers.
Here are South Carolina’s top 2 law schools as ranked by US News and World Report.
1). University of South Carolina School of Law
The University of South Carolina School of Law, also known as South Carolina Law School, is a public law school located in the capital of South Carolina: Columbia.
Founded in 1867, South Carolina Law School is among the oldest law schools in the entire country.
To this day, it is the only public and non-profit law school in the state of South Carolina (as mentioned above, Charleston School of Law is private and for-profit).
The School of Law has been a member of the Association of American Law Schools since 1924 and has been accredited by the ABA since 1925.
Because South Carolina School of Law is located in the state’s capital and has such a long-standing history in the city and in the state, students benefit from extensive connections and industry connections.
As a public university, South Carolina School of Law provides a great value legal education to residents of South Carolina, and also offers generous scholarships to out-of-state students in order to make the program more affordable for all.
And indeed, South Carolina Law attracts students from all across the country, especially since the state now utilizes the Uniform Bar Exam, so graduates who pass the bar in South Carolina can practice anywhere in the United States.
the Law School operates eight in-house clinics specializing in the legal fields of health advocacy, criminal practice, domestic violence, education rights, environmental law, juvenile justice, NPOs, and veterans’ legal needs.
In terms of externships, students can choose to specialize in any of the following areas: Administrative Law, Children’s Law, Criminal Law, In-House Counsel, Judicial, and Legislative, with externship placements ranging from federal and state agencies and court systems to the state senate
Among South Carolina Law School’s distinguished alumni are U.S. Senators and Representatives, Governors, Judges, State Supreme Court Justices, and more.
2. Charleston School of Law
Charleston School of Law is situated in Charleston, SC, and is a for-profit institution founded in 2003 by a group of local attorneys and judges and fully accredited by the ABA in 2011.
This makes it a relatively young law school compared to others across the country. Public service is woven into the fabric of the program, such that every student must perform at least 50 hours of public service to graduate.
Charleston School of Law gained ABA accreditation 2011. After gaining full accreditation, it was found to be in noncompliance with a critical requirement for ABA accreditation in 2020 :
the requirement that at least 75% of students who take the bar must pass within two years of graduating. As of February 2021, CSOL is now in compliance with this requirement.
Charleston School of Law is recognized for having exceptionally dedicated professors and a small student-to-faculty ratio.
Its motto is pro bono populi, “for the good of the people”, and the 50-hour public service requirement per student means that the law school has, as a whole, provided upwards of 500,000 hours of public service.
In terms of admissions selectivity, CSOL accepts approximately 55% of applicants. Successful applicants have a median LSAT score of 151 and a median GPA of 3.19.
The majority of incoming students come from outside of South Carolina, and nearly 75% of the incoming class receives some form of financial aid, with the average merit scholarship totaling $25,000.
In recent years CSOL’s first-time bar passage rate has been steadily increasing, with 52.6% of test-takers passing as of the 2021 school year. See Law School Requirements.
Charleston School of Law runs three publications. The first is the Charleston Law Review, The second publication at Charleston School of Law is the Maritime Law Bulletin (also called MALABU), which is a traditional law review run by second- and third-year students.
Charleston Law Review has secured some high-profile legal writings, such as the foreword to the Fall 2007 edition, which was written by then-Senator and future-POTUS Barack Obama.
The second publication at Charleston School of Law is the Maritime Law Bulletin (also called MALABU), Finally, CSOL also runs Resolved:
Journal of Alternative Dispute Resolution. which, as the name suggests, focuses on maritime-related legal issues and developments.
Conclusion
That was all on the best law schools in South Carolina. Was the information useful to you? Let us know in the comment section.
Last Updated on May 7, 2023 by Admin
