Faculty News

Professor Ann M. Bartow received the 2005 Carol Jones Carlisle Award from the Women's Studies Program at USC. The award is designed to assist faculty in the conduct of women-centered research, consistent with the research mission of the Women's Studies Program.

Professor Kim Diana Connolly was appointed in April 2005 to the United States National Ramsar Committee (USNRC). The Convention on Wetlands (referred to as the Ramsar Convention because it was signed in Ramsar, Iran, 1971) is an intergovernmental treaty, which provides the framework for national action and international cooperation for the conservation and wise use of wetlands and their resources.

Terrye Conroy, School of Law reference librarian, was selected by the School of Library and Information Science (SLIS) to participate in a training course for library staff from U.S. embassies and consulates around the world. Approximately 25 foreign national library staff came to USC for the workshop focusing on the use of government information and the role of information in the democratic process.

Professor Brant J. Hellwig was the 2005 Recipient of the Nolan Fellowship, which is awarded by the ABA Section of Taxation to young tax lawyers involved in the Section who have demonstrated leadership qualities.

Professor Dennis R. Nolan was elected a Fellow of the College of Labor and Employment Lawyers and was inducted August 7 at the ABA annual meeting in Chicago. The College is an invitation-only professional association recognizing those who, by long and outstanding service, have distinguished themselves as leaders in the field.

Dean Burnele Venable Powell was selected as a Trustee of the American Inns of Court Foundation. His one-year term as a Public Trustee began in July 2005. The American Inns of Court is dedicated to promoting ethics, civility, and professionalism through mentoring and educational programs at the local level.

Professor Joel Samuels was a 2004 nominee for the L. Hart Wright Award for Teaching Excellence at the University of Michigan.

Professor Roy Stuckey's work with the national Clinical Legal Education Association to describe best practices for legal education was the subject of a national workshop/conference at Pace University School of Law and a Clinical Theory Workshop in New York City in March 2005. Stuckey also was recognized by the South Carolina Conference of Family Court Judges in April 2005 for his "constant endeavors toward improving the knowledge and capabilities of the Family Court Judges in their administration of justice in the Family Courts of the State of South Carolina."

Faculty Awards

The School of Law is pleased to acknowledge several faculty members for their exemplary work during the 2004-2005 academic year.

Two Outstanding Faculty Publication Awards are given to faculty members who have written an exceptional piece of scholarship. Professor Robert Felix received the book award for American Conflicts Law: Cases and Materials. The article award went to Professor Ann Bartow for "Likelihood of Confusion," published in the San Diego Law Review.

The G.G. Dowling Faculty Award was given to Professor O'Neal Smalls. The award recognizes the faculty member who has typified outstanding qualities of integrity, concern for others, and legal scholarship.

Professor Elizabeth Patterson was honored with the Outstanding Faculty Service Award. The award is given to a faculty member who gives unselfishly of his or her time to serve on University and law school committees and to serve the community.

Voted by the law school student body as Teacher of the Year, Professor Robert Wilcox received the Outstanding Faculty Member Award.

Professor O'Neal Smalls received the 2005 Faculty Service Award from USC's Black Faculty and Staff Association (BFSA). The award is presented annually to a full-time faculty member for outstanding commitment to community service, including service to the University, professional organizations, and the community outside the University.

School Announces Coordinator for Moot Court Competitions

The School of Law is pleased to announce the appointment of adjunct professor Robert T. Bockman to the newly-created role of director for moot court competitions. Bockman first became involved with the Moot Court Bar in 1994, when he coached the law school's team in the national moot court competition. He became an advisor for the Moot Court Bar in 1998 and devoted himself to enhancing the program. He was the first recipient of an award created in his name in 1999, to be given each year to a person possessing qualities that exemplify moot court. In his new position, he will be responsible for the administration of external moot court competitions, assuring strong training and advice for competition teams as well as administrative continuity. Noting that the School of Law has always had a solid Moot Court Bar, Bockman said the school is now devoting more attention and resources to the program. "We're taking the existing program and expanding it, especially in terms of making it a more meaningful experience to the students involved," Bockman said.

He is enthusiastic about improving the opportunities for students who have an interest in appellate advocacy, and helping them with their research, legal writing, and oral arguments. The Moot Court program is unique because it improves students' skills in a competitive and selective environment. "We want to provide more systematic guidance and training for students than we have in the past," Bockman said. "We want to be more efficient with our time and refine their skills."

Students selected for the Moot Court Bar become members of competition teams that participate in regional or national competitions, including the annual ABA Moot Court Competition, against teams from other law schools. Bockman's goal is for students not only to enhance their abilities through participation in the program, but for them to be successful as well. Law students learn the same tools in the Moot Court program that they will need for effective practice in the real world. Bockman hopes to continue to attract more students to the program and promote a strong Moot Court reputation for the School of Law. "What is most important is for these students to understand the influence they are going to have on the community as lawyers. They have real potential to help the law school, Columbia, and the state of South Carolina."

Robert Bockman

If there is one thing that adjunct professor Robert Bockman is passionate about, it is teaching. With a BA in history from Vanderbilt University and an MA and JD from the University of Georgia, Bockman considered becoming a history professor, but changed his mind and chose to pursue a career in law. He was admitted to practice in North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia, and served as staff counsel and later general counsel to the South Carolina Public Service Commission.

Bockman joined McNair Law Firm, P.A., in September 1981 and became a shareholder in 1983. His practice includes administrative and regulatory litigation in public utility matters (electric, natural gas, and telecommunications). He also handles environmental matters and is involved with federal and state procurement and general administrative law and procedures.

In 1993, when he was offered a position as an adjunct professor teaching appellate advocacy at the School of Law, Bockman was quick to accept. "When I received the opportunity to become an adjunct, I found that it was an activity that reinforced my passion for teaching. It also helped me in my own practice of law because as a teacher I began to think more in depth about what we, as lawyers, do and why we do it."

Bockman had previously taught seminars and lectured at the law school when invited by professors, but he was pleased to take on classes of his own. Always interested in education, he made (and continues to make) visits to schools to teach younger generations about his work and the profession of a lawyer. Bockman is also actively involved in education issues in the community, serving on several task forces for the local school district and investigating new academic programs for Columbia's public schools.

"I believe that it's natural for lawyers also to serve in the capacity of teachers. We're here to set an example, not only for younger lawyers, but within the community as well," Bockman said. He attributes his admiration for teaching in part to his wife, who is also a teacher, and to his three children, the oldest of whom became a first-year student at the School of Law this fall.