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2010 Ceremony

University of South Carolina School of Law honors exemplary alumni at Compleat Lawyer Awards Dinner

Nine outstanding alumni were recognized for their significant contributions to the legal profession and high standards of professional competence, ethics and integrity at the University of South Carolina School of Law's annual Compleat Lawyer Awards dinner on April 15, 2010. Established in 1992 by the USC Law School Alumni Association Board (LSAAB), the awards recognize alumni for outstanding civic and professional accomplishments.

Awards are given in categories based on years in practice. The Platinum Award, given to three attorneys who have been in practice over 30 years, was awarded to John M. Bleecker, '60, of the Law Offices of John M. Bleecker in Charleston, SC; William C. Hubbard, '77, of Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough, LLP in Columbia, SC; and Robert A. McKenzie, '66, of McDonald, McKenzie, Rubin, Miller and Lybrand, LLP in Columbia, SC.

John M. Bleecker's specialty is "doing whatever his clients need done" and he takes pride in not only providing a myriad of services for his clients, but also training many young lawyers over the years that have gone on to have their own successful practices. Bleecker graduated in 1953 from Wake Forest before entering in the US Air Force, where he served from 1953 to 1957. He met his wife, Joanne McCarthy while stationed at the Charleston Air Force base. They had their first child, Anne Frances, while Bleecker was in law school. After graduating law school in 1960, he went on to clerk for US District Judge Ashton Williams. He entered solo practice in 1965, after working as an associate for Arthur C. Baker from 1961 to 1965.

Bleecker was President of the Charleston County Young Democrats in the early 1960's; Secretary of the County Democratic Party from 1968-1972; Chair of the Charleston County Democratic Party's Convention in 1968; a member of the Charleston County Planning Board from 1964-1971; chair of the Judicial Complex Committee of the Charleston County Bar Association from 1989-1994; and President of the Charleston County Bar from 1994-1995. In the community, he is an active Rotarian; member of the Board of Goodwill Industries of Lower South Carolina; and loyal supporter of many local charities.

Well respected among his peers, this award was presented to Bleecker during the milestone of his 50th year at the Bar.

William C. Hubbard exemplifies a tradition of excellence and service. A partner of Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough, he practices in business litigation. Hubbard also serves as chair of the firm's Business Litigation and Employment Law Group. A lifelong supporter of USC, he received his undergraduate degree in History, magna cum laude in 1974, before going on to graduate with his JD in 1977. As an undergrad he received the Algernon Sydney Sullivan Award, the University's highest student award.

Hubbard has received many other awards including most recently the University's Distinguished Alumni Award. In addition he received the Order of the Palmetto in 2002; the American Inns of Court's 2007 Professionalism Award for the US Fourth Circuit; SC Lawyers Weekly Leadership in Law Award; and the 2008 John F. Williams Award from the Richland County Bar.

He is an active member of the Bar; Chair of the ABA House of Delegates; former chair of the Commission for the World Justice Project; member of the Council and Executive Committee of the American Law Institute; fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers; American Board of Trial Adovates; American Judicature Society; and John Belton O'Neall Inn of Court.

Robert A. McKenzie, partner with McDonald McKenzie, Rubin, Miller & Lybrand, focuses on civil litigation. He received his BS from USC in 1963 before going to on to graduate with his JD in 1966.

McKenzie is an active CLE presenter and has lectured at the School of Law. He has also participated in organized bar activities in committee work and mentoring projects in support of the profession.

He has received numerous awards including the 2008 Trial Lawyer of the Year. McKenzie is a fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers; diplomat American Board of Trial Advocates; Master of the Bench, John Belton O'Neall Inn of Court, American Inns of Court; chair SC Supreme Court Commission on CLE and Specialization; House of Delegates, SC Bar; Fellow of the Foundation, SC Bar Foundation; and serves on the Executive Committee and is President Elect of the Richland County Bar Association.

The Gold Award, given to three attorneys who have been in practice for 15-30 years, was awarded to J. René Josey, '85, Tuner Padget Graham & Laney, PA in Florence, SC; W. Cliff Moore III, '83, of Ellis, Lawhorne & Sims in Columbia, SC; and Richard L. Tapp, Jr., '90, of Nexsen Pruet in Charleston, SC.

J. René Josey graduated from Clemson University in 1982 before getting his law degree from USC in 1985. He was a member of the Order of Wig and Robe and an editor for the South Carolina Law Review as well as an instructor of Legal Research and Writing.

After law school, Josey clerked for the Honorable C. Weston Houck, US District Judge for the District of South Carolina from 1985-1988. He opened his private practice in Florence thereafter; served President Clinton as US Attorney for the District of South Carolina from 1996-2001; and joined Turner Padget Graham & Laney, PA in 2001. Josey has extensive trial experience focusing on trial and appellate litigation primarily in the federal courts. He received South Carolina's Pro Bono Lawyer of the Year in 1990.

W. Cliff Moore III is a member of the litigation and dispute resolution practice group at Ellis, Lawhorne & Sims. He concentrates his practice on real estate finance and corporate fiduciary matters with special emphasis in the mortgage banking area. Cliff is very active in the Bar, serving on the Bar's Nominating Committee; member of the House of Delegates from 1994-2008; past chair of the Pro Bono Committee and Access to Justice Committee, where he served for more than two decades. He has received two Pro Bono Service Awards from the Bar.

In the community, Cliff does volunteer work with Homeworks of America, Inc; where he leads youth groups on home repair missions that assist lower income individuals and the elderly. He is also Chairman of the Board of Directors for Homeworks of America and been involved in youth activities with the Columbia Kiwanis Club for more than 20 years.

Richard L. Tapp, Jr. is a trial lawyer with a concentration in commercial litigation. He is a member of Nexsen Pruet's business litigation practice group and is active in the area of economic development.

He was a member of the Nexsen Pruet team responsible for bringing The Boeing Company to South Carolina; he also represented MeadWestvaco Corporation’s Community Development and Land Management Group and the Rockefeller Group in procuring incentives for a new distribution center in Berkeley County; and part of the team that secured matching funds for Clemson University to get a $45 million grant for the off-shore wind turbine test facility at the Restoration Institute site in North Charleston.

Since March 2001, Richard has been Board Member and Corporate Secretary of the SC Transportation Infrastructure Bank; Chairman of the SC Senate Advisory Committee on Economic Development; served on the eight-member SC Study Committee on Public-Private Partnerships in Transportation; a Trustee of the Clemson Advancement Foundation; former Board of Directors for the Charleston Metro Chamber of Commerce; and selected as a member of the Liberty Fellowship Class of 2009. Richard has also won the Order of the Palmetto, awarded to him for legal services performed for the benefit of South Carolina citizens.

The Silver Award, given to three attorneys who have been in practice for fewer than 15 years, was awarded to Jennifer W. Rubin, '99, of Rogers Townsend & Thomas, PC, in Columbia, SC; Tiffany R. Spann-Wilder, '98, The Spann-Wilder Law Firm, N. Charleston, SC; and Catherine Templeton, '98, of Ogletree Deakins Nash Smoak & Stewart, in Charleston, SC.

Jennifer Rubin is a shareholder at Rogers Townsend & Thomas. During law school she was historian of the International Legal fraternity of Phi Delta Phi; a member of several social and service clubs; and the first recipient of the Luther M. Lee Scholarship. She clerked for The Honorable H. Dean Hall of the 10th judicial circuit before joining RTT in September of 2000.

There, she practices in the areas of real estate and mortgage litigation, as well as title insurance defense. She is chair of the firm's Law Clerk Committee and member of the firm's Strategic Opportunity Assessment Committee.

Jennifer has served on the SC Supreme Court's Task Force on Public Access to Electronic Court Records; the Mortgage Issues Working Group; participated in the Bar's formal "Ask-A-Lawyer" Program; served as judge for the SC Bar's LRE Division Middle School and High School mock trial competitions and "National History Day" competition; and attended the School of Law orientation as a mentor for several years.

She has won several awards including the SC Bar's 2005-2006 "Young Lawyer of the Year" and in 2007 was named to The State Newspaper's top "20 under 40".

Tiffany Spann-Wilder graduated from Winthrop before going on to get her JD from USC in 1998. There, she was a representative to the Student Bar Association all three years; a regional representative for the Black Law Students Association; member of The Journal of Law and Education; student member of the John Belton O'Neal Inn of Court; and president of the Pro Bono Board. She also received the G.G. Dowling Student Award from the law school faculty.

After law school, Tiffany went on to clerk for The Honorable Matthew J. Perry, Jr., Senior US District Court Judge for the District of SC before going on to work as an Honors Staff Attorney in the US Justice Department, Federal Bureau of Prisons Division. In August 2000 she entered private practice and in March 2006 she opened her current firm, The Spann-Wilder Law Firm, where she practices in the areas of personal injury, workers' compensation and social security disability.

Tiffany was an Officer in the US Army Reserves, Judge Advocate General's Corp (JAG); an Associate Municipal Court Judge for the city of North Charleston from October 2001-2005; active in the Young Lawyer's Division of the SC Bar, the Association of South Carolina Claimant Attorneys for Workers' Compensation, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority and the Junior League of Charleston; member of the SC Black Lawyers, SC Trial Lawyers, SC Women's Lawyers and Board of Directors for Art Forms & Theater Concepts.

Catherine Templeton practices in the areas of labor and employment, with emphasis on litigation. Before attending law school, she was Human Resources Manager at Milliken & Company. While in law school, Catherine served on the Honor Council and was Associate Editor of the American Bar Association Real Property, Probate & Trust Journal.

She went to work with the SC Department of Labor, Licensing & Regulation for three years prior to joining Ogletree Deakins. At LLR, Catherine drafted the SC Trade Secrets Act and played a major role in other labor bills, including Right to Work and covenants to compete.

For 14 years, Catherine has been involved in union avoidance. She has experience in national labor campaigns against the UAW, IBEW and Teamsters. She serves on Ogletree's EFCA team providing training throughout the country on the Employee Free Choice Act.

Recipients are nominated by members of the South Carolina Bar and are chosen by a committee consisting of the Chief Justice of the South Carolina Supreme Court, the Chief Judge of the South Carolina Court of Appeals, the President of the South Carolina Bar, the President of the Alumni Association, and the Dean of the Law School.

The School of Law commends the high standards of these individuals whose conduct, competence and conscience reflect positively upon themselves, the legal profession, and the school. Walter F. Pratt, Jr., Dean of the School of Law, stated that, "Their example is worthy of emulation, and it is a privilege to honor them not only at this annual event, but year round."