Winter 2004

Winter, 2004       Website: http://www.charlestonbar.org

Conference to feature Chief Justice Jean Toal

REGISTER NOW ONLINE! SEATING IS LIMITED!
Go to www.C4Women.org and click on "11th Annual Centering on Women Conference".

11th Annual Centering on Women Conference
Charleston Riverview Inn, 170 Lockwood Blvd, Charleston
Keynote speaker South Carolina State Supreme Court Chief Justice Jean Hoefer Toal
Saturday, February 21, 2004 | 8:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.

Workshop sessions:
Collaborative Negotiating Skills, Legal Issues for Women, Girls Just Want to Have Funds,
Influencing Relationships At Work And At Home, Mommy Do You Love Your Job More Than
Me? Heart Callings, Being Good To Yourself, and The Reality Of Dreams: Realizing Your Potential.

Registration before February 12:
Conference - $60 for CFW Members/$70 for Non Members/$40 for Students (with valid ID)
Lunch ONLY - $50 for lunch with speaker Jean Toal ONLY
Registration after February 12:
Conference - $70 for CFW Members/$80 for Non Member/$50 for Students (with valid ID)
Lunch ONLY - $55 for lunch with speaker Jean Toal ONLY

Presenting Sponsors:
Allstate Foundation, Ashley Hall, MassMutual and OppenheimerFunds, Merrill Lynch,
and The Storey Family Foundation
Supporting Sponsors:
Corporate DevelopMint, Terri Henning, The Little Black Book for Every Busy Woman, and Pratt-Thomas, Gumb & Co.

For information or to register please call (843) 763-7333 or go to www.C4Women.org.

Center for Women
531 Savannah Highway
Charleston, SC 29407
Phone (843) 763-7333
Fax (843) 763-3441
www.C4Women.org

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FROM THE PRESIDENT

Dear Colleagues:

I am preparing my final letter to the members of the Bar as the holiday season draws to a close. Just last week, the United States announced the capture of Saddam Hussein. As I said in my first newsletter, regardless of how one feels about the war, hopefully, this will help to bring an end to the bloodshed and violence that the region is experiencing and the danger that the men and women of the armed forces face daily in Iraq.

I am saddened to report that our friend, Charles Allen, passed away on December 29. I first met Charles 22 years ago, in September of 1981, when he moved to Charleston to practice law with Young, Clement, Rivers, & Tisdale. Charles was an insurance defense litigator and always did a great job as a lawyer. He was tough but fair, a reputation that followed him and that he lived by. Most of you probably do not remember that night in November 1982 when, as the result of an accident, he became a high level quad. Buster Holland and Brad Waring, two other "young lawyers" at Young Clement, called me and we rallied round to try to do all that we could to help. George Kefalos also played an instrumental role during those early days. Later, Joe Riley, through the good offices of Bill Regan, offered Charles a job as a Municipal Court Judge. Many of you appeared before Charles when he was sitting as judge, so you know my description of him as tough but fair is true. You all know that Charles never let his disability get him down, nor did he let it slow the progress of justice. Charles was fair to all, and it did not matter who you were when you appeared before him. He would treat you courteously, and he would treat you just like everybody else. I admired my friend Charles Allen for having the will to live and to "keep at it." How he got around in that wheelchair with the "sip and puff" controls is amazing. Charles taught himself to breathe again on his own after he was paralyzed. The world is a better place because Charles Allen tried his hardest to continue to live a full life. Charles leaves behind his church, his fellow Sunday school classmates, his two sons, Matthew and Lee, and their wives and children, his stepdaughter Emily, and his wonderful wife Jean.

When I was admitted to the Bar in October of 1973, there were less than 200 members of the Charleston County Bar Association. We all knew each other. In those days, by and large, lawyers were thought of as litigators. Today, our profession is so multifaceted that you cannot speak in generalities. We have close to 1400 members of the Charleston County Bar, and we are a growing and thriving organization. My experience litigating in courts in various parts of the country convinces me that we have the "best and the brightest" here. Our lawyers, regardless of their particular areas of expertise, are top notch. The skills, creativity, level-headedness, and common sense of our Bar is unmatched. For that reason, I thank you for allowing me to serve as your President.

Sincerely,

Mark

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Margaret D. Fabri is pleased to announce the relocation of her law office to 1612 Haborview Road, Charleston, SC 29412-3216, beginning Monday, January 26, 2004.  Her mailing address will be Post Office Box 12578, Charleston, SC 29422-2578, tel. 722-4928, fax 722-6131, e-mail mdf@fabrilaw.com.

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Finkel & Altman, L.L.C. is pleased to announce that Meredith N. Long has become an associate of the firm in its office located at 24 North Market Street, Suite 200, Charleston, SC 29401, tel. 577-5460. It is also pleased to announce that Kimberly A. Smith has become an associate of the firm in its office located at 3955 Faber Place Drive, Suite 201, North Charleston, SC 29405, tel. 573-1072.

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Grimball and Cabaniss, LLC takes pleasure in announcing that Laura C. Waring, formerly Senior Staff Attorney for the Richland County C.A.S.A., and Joseph T. Belton have become associates with the firm. Their practice areas include civil litigation, criminal law and business law.

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Smith, Bundy, Bybee & Barnett, P.C. is pleased to announce that John P. Works has become an associate of the firm.

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Young, Clement, Rivers & Tisdale, LLP is pleased to announce that John C. Hayes, IV, Lee Louis Gremillion, IV, Kelly A. Wannamaker and Kevin W. Mims have joined the firm as associates in the Charleston office.

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Office Space for Rent: Downtown Charleston, 171 Church Street, The Franke Building. Attorney and paralegal offices available, with use of conference rooms, lobby, kitchen and receptionist. High speed Internet access available. Call Kathy McKillip at 577-7557.

The Annual Meeting and Oyster Roast/Barbecue will be held on February 24 at Alhambra Hall. Invitations will be sent out the first of February. If you know of or have any new attorneys in your office that have not previously joined the Charleston County Bar Association, please send Julie Kemp their names so that an invitation can be sent to them. Please remember that your Charleston County Bar dues for 2004 have to be paid prior to the Annual Meeting. If you did not pay your dues along with your South Carolina Bar dues, please fill out the form below and mail it along with a check in the amount of $75.00 to the address on the form.

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PROBATE COURT LIAISON COMMITTEE

OF THE CHARLESTON COUNTY BAR

Probate Court Appointments

The Charleston County Probate Court seeks attorneys who are interested in serving as Temporary Guardian/Conservator, Attorney/Guardian Ad Litem (GAL) for involuntary commitments for alcohol and drugs and/or mental illness in our Commitment Division or as a Special Administrator for an estate in the Estate Division.

Also, attorneys interested in serving as arbitrators or mediators in Probate Court matters should notify the Court.

For the Commitment Division call Regina LeBlanc at 958-5180, and for the Estate Division call Susan Curran at 958-5030.

NALS ADVANCED LEGAL TRAINING COURSE

Sponsored by

Legal Staff Professionals of the Lowcountry

The Legal Staff Professionals of the Lowcountry will be sponsoring the NALS Advanced Legal Training Course for legal professionals using the Advanced Manual for Lawyer's Assistant, 6^th Edition, and accompanying student study guide. Classes will be held Tuesday and Thursday evenings, beginning Tuesday, February 10, 2004 through Tuesday, April 13, 2004, from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. at the First Federal of Charleston Building, 34 Broad Street, Charleston, South Carolina.

Classes will be taught by attorneys, judges, certified professional legal secretaries, and/or persons with expertise in the particular field. All classes focus on what is expected of a legal staff professional. A certificate will be awarded to the individuals who attend at least 80 percent of the classes and obtain a grade of 70 percent or better for the class. The certificate will be issued by NALS . . . the association for legal professionals.

This course is designed for legal support personnel (legal assistants, paralegals, secretaries, receptionists, etc.) who may be called upon to perform the duties of a lawyer's assistant or want to expand their current skills. It covers the same topics as the basic course, but in more depth, and assumes some knowledge of the law. It also provides an excellent way to prepare for the PLS examination - the advanced certification for legal professionals. Applications for the PLS examination will be available throughout the course.

For course information, please contact Patricia Maas at 261-1284.

The cost of the course will be $185 for NALS members and $210 for non-members.

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REGISTRATION FORM

Name:

Address:

Telephone:

Law Firm:

( ) Member $185* ( ) Non Member $210*

( ) Please send me information regarding the Legal Staff Professionals of the Lowcountry.

Please return registration form and fee by January 30, 2004 to:

Legal Staff Professionals of the Lowcountry Patricia Maas

3586 Passfield Lane

Mount Pleasant, SC 29466

*Checks should be made payable to "LSPL."
VOLUNTEER FOR ONE OF THE BAR'S PUBLIC PROGRAMS

The South Carolina Bar's Ask-A-Lawyer Hotline is in need of volunteers to work two or three hour shifts in Charleston. Ask-A-Lawyer volunteers take legal questions on a variety of issues. The Hotline operates out of Charleston on Mondays and out of other South Carolina cities the rest of the week. The Charleston County Bar has a number of members currently volunteering. Your volunteer time comes up about once every three months. In addition to being helpful to the citizens of South Carolina, the program sheds a positive light on lawyers and their community involvement. To volunteer contact Debbie Morris at the South Carolina Bar at 803-799-6653, extension 158, or Debbie.morris@scbar.org.

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TRI-COUNTY PARALEGAL ASSOCIATION JOB BANK

If you would like to list your open legal assistant/paralegal positions with the TCPA job bank, please contact Karla Ruopoli at 576-5534 or mkruopoli@mindspring.com.  

CIRCUIT COURT SCHEDULE - NINTH JUDICIAL CIRCUIT

(Court schedules are changing constantly; please verify current information through S.C. Court Administration or by checking the South Carolina Judicial Department website at http://www.judicial.state.sc.us/calendar/index.cfm)

CHARLESTON COUNTY COMMON PLEAS JURY VERDICTS

(information supplied by Clerk of Court's Office)