fall 2010 a newsletter from the south Carolina Bar foundationOur mission is to fund the advancement of justice by improving access, education and accountability.

Ten Students + Ten Weeks = Countless Lives Changed In September, the USC School of Law Pro Bono Program and SC Bar Foundation kicked off the SC Bar Foundation Public Interest Fellows project. This year-long effort enhances the ability of South Carolina legal services organizations by placing public-service-minded USC School of Law students as law clerks within those organizations.

Students have been “at work” for approximately two weeks. Lara Caudy, the clerk for the SC Access to Justice Commission, has been researching studies around the country regarding poverty law and pro se initiatives. Lisa Potts, Policy Director with the SC Center for Fathers and Families, reports that James Laura, her clerk completed a health care reform brief that outlines how the new health care reform laws will directly impact fatherhood clients. His largest project is assisting with drafting a brief on federal and state laws regarding workforce development and accessing job training dollars. In addition to assisting with research, James is conducting

Ten Students continued on back

TRIBUTE GIFTSThe Bar Foundation gratefully acknowledges those who have made gifts in tribute of a colleague or friend of the Bar for the period August through October 15, 2010. Names in bold denote the honoree.

IN mEmORy OF…Isadore S. Bernstein

Rebecca Laffitte

James S. Chandler Jr.Elizabeth Van Doren GrayJustice Costa M. Pleicones

George L. Dial Jr.E. Windell McCrackin

Dale L. DuTrembleGeorge B. CauthenHon. T.L. Hughston Jr.

Hon. Clyde A. EltzrothE. Windell McCrackin

Hon. Frank EppesE. Windell McCrackin

Linwood S. Evans Jr.Justice Costa M. Pleicones

Paul J. Foster Jr. E. Windell McCrackin

Julian H. GignilliatR. Read Gignilliat

I. m. GoldbergE. Windell McCrackin

James Christopher HendersonRebecca Laffitte

Leo H. HillDebra J. Gammons

Hon. Thomas Kemmerlin Jr.George B. CauthenHon. T.L. Hughston Jr. Hon. J. Ernest Kinard Jr.Hon. and Mrs. Howard P. KingRebecca Laffitte

Governor Robert E. mcNairE. Windell McCrackin

Grady L. PattersonE. Windell McCrackin

Professor Charles H. Randall Jr. George W. Cox Jr. E. Windell McCrackinPhi Alpha Delta Law Fraternity, Pinckney Chapter

melvin L. RobertsE. Windell McCrackin

Rod ShealyLorri Shealy Unumb

Frances H. SmithE. Windell McCrackin

IN HONOR OF…Hon. Richard E. Fields

John M. Bleecker Jr.

Andrew John Savage IIIAlice F. Paylor

Ross ShealyLorri Shealy Unumb

The Foundation will give 25 percent of campaign receipts to the YLD to support Children’s Chance, Sexual Trauma Services of the Midlands,

Special Olympics and The Cooperative Ministry.

Each One Reach One through the Young Lawyer Legacy

“But why should the Young Lawyers Division care about the South Carolina Bar Foundation?” you ask. As the charitable arm of the Bar, the Foundation supports organizations that advance justice by improving access, education and accountability. The Foundation’s mission is in line with the goals and ideals of many young lawyers. A new program, Each One Reach One, has been developed to encourage young lawyer philanthropy through the Foundation.

Philanthropy is very important to campaign chair Amy Landers May. May said, “As young members of the SC Bar, what better way can we give back to the community than by contributing to our own Foundation, while at the same time benefiting the programs we all hold dear through the YLD? It is my privilege to be a part of the Young Lawyer Legacy.”

Chris Koon appreciates the diversity of issues reached by Foundation grantees as well as the accountability with each donation. Koon said, “The Bar Foundation attacks the root causes of our state’s problems in ways few other organizations can. Its influence reaches juvenile justice, domestic abuse, homeless issues and many other areas. It makes every dollar go very far, and that’s why I support the Foundation.”

Learn more about the campaign or simply use the donor form on the back of this newsletter to be a part of this exciting effort.

The inaugural class of SCBF Fellows

Amy Landers may Christopher Koon

SC Bar Foundation • PO Box 608 • Columbia, SC 29202The SC Bar Foundation, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization and all contributions

are tax deductible within the limits of the law.fall 2010

PO Box 608, Columbia, SC 29202

Non-Profit Org.U.S. Postage

PaID Columbia, SCPermit No. 104

Give online via www.scbarfoundation.org :: visit us on Facebook and Twitter

Name: ____________________________________________________________________________

Address: ________________________________________________________________________

Phone: _______________________ E-mail: __________________________________________

Gift Amount $ _____________ Please make checks payable to SC Bar Foundation.

Gift Level q $1,000 Society

of Justice

q $500-$999 Rutledge Patron

q $250-$499 Wright Patron

q $100-$249 JM Perry Patron

Legal Services Lawyer of the year Call for Nominations It is time to nominate for the Ellen Hines Smith Legal Services Lawyer of the Year Award. The award, in memory of Ellen Hines Smith of Spartanburg, recognizes a lawyer who has demonstrated commitment to the development and delivery of quality legal services to the poor in South Carolina. Members of the Bar are encouraged to nominate a lawyer who is employed at South Carolina Legal Services. Nominations will be accepted through November 15. Additional award criteria and a nomination form may be found on our Web site. The award winner will be presented jointly with the SC Access to Justice Commission at the Bar Foundation’s Gala on Thursday, March 3, 2011.

The Next Best Thing – Cy pres awards can benefit the Foundation Cy pres awards are residual funds from class action or other proceedings that cannot be distributed to class members or the intended beneficiaries for a variety of reasons. Under the cy pres doctrine, the funds can be distributed to appropriate charitable causes.

Why is the Foundation a perfect fit for a cy pres award?• There is no possibility for a conflict of interest for the Court or

the defendant.• We are structured to ensure accountability for the expenditure of

funds. The Foundation has provided more than $42 million in grants and is a proven collaborator and leader in the justice community.

• Our grantees demonstrate success in the areas where cy pres awards typically are made.

• Funds can be used to target a specific project if desired, allowing for consensus between the plaintiff, defendant and the Court.

If you are involved in a class action case and are unable to distribute all of the funds, consider the SC Bar Foundation. Visit our Web site to read more about cy pres or request a copy of our brochure.

Other Informationq My gift is a tribute gift

(provide details on check).

q I have included the Bar Foundation in my will.

q I am a member of the YLD; my gift is $300 which qualifies me to be listed in the Young Lawyer Legacy.

Designation (choose one)

q Apply my gift where it is needed most.

q Children’s Fund

q Disabled Lawyers Fund

q Brewer Professionalism Fund

Save the Date – March 3, 2011 Bar Foundation Gala

Honoring the Nifty Fifty of the SC Bar, the Ellen Hines Smith Legal Services Lawyer of the Year and the SC Bar Pro Bono Lawyer of the Year

Columbia metropolitan Convention Center

Ten Students continued from front

background interviews with fatherhood clients, workforce development personnel and state training providers.

Foundation funds are being leveraged by another source to make the clerkships possible. Pam Robinson, Director of the Pro Bono Program at USC Law, manages the project.

Students and the supervising attorneys attended an orientation where Dean Walter F. Pratt Jr. and Toyya Brawley Gray, President of the SC Bar Foundation Board, welcomed them. In her remarks Ms. Gray told those assembled, “You have all heard the phrase of something being a “win-win” situation. Well, the Foundation considers this opportunity a “win-win-win” scenario. Fellows – you will benefit from the knowledge of the lawyers that you will encounter. Host entities – you will benefit from these students’ hard work and dedication. And, most importantly, the low income community will be

better off as there are more helping hands – more minds around the table – as you work together to advance justice in our state.” See the full list of Foundation Fellows and his or her clerk assignment on our Web site.

Kelly Teague, SC Bar Pro Bono Program Clerk