The University of South Carolina School of Law is dedicated to providing its students with a cutting-edge understanding and application of the law.
We believe that a great law school begins with a great faculty, which is why we’re proud to announce that our faculty has recently grown to include 10 new members who are helping us strengthen our curriculum in key areas:
Derek W. Black
Professor of Law
Joined in Fall 2012
Education:
JD – University of North Carolina
BA – University of Tennessee
Courses Taught:
Civil Rights Seminar
Constitutional Law
Education Law & Policy
Evidence
Previous Appointment:
Associate Professor of Law, Howard University
Scholarly Interests:
Education law, educational access issues
“I work and teach in education law because I know firsthand the central role that education plays in everyone’s life chances. For many children, a good education is the only shot they have at the ‘American Dream.’ However, too often they must fight against the odds because the educational opportunities they receive are drastically different than the opportunities in other schools.”
—
Marie C. Boyd
Visiting Assistant Professor of Law
Joined in Fall 2012
Education:
JD – Yale
AB – Harvard
Courses Taught:
Administrative Law
Food & Drug Law
Torts
Previous Appointment:
Associate, Covington & Burling LLP
Scholarly Interest:
Food and drug law
“My research focus is on food and drug law, an area that impacts so many aspects of our lives. My interest stems from my chemistry background, my prior practice as an associate in the food and drug practice group at Covington and Burling LLP, and of course, my love of food.”
—
Elizabeth Chambliss
Professor of Law
Joining in Fall 2013
Education:
JD – University of Wisconsin
PhD – University of Wisconsin
BA – College of Charleston
Previous Appointment:
Professor of Law, New York Law School
Scholarly Interests:
Legal profession, professional responsibility, legal education
“It’s an exciting and important time for research on the legal profession. Globalization and advances in information technology have created profound challenges — and opportunities — for the delivery of legal services that will significantly affect the careers of this generation of lawyers. The organizational settings in which lawyers practice are becoming increasingly complex; lawyers increasingly are working in multi-professional and non-legal environments; and new delivery models are testing the boundaries of traditional lawyer regulation. My goal is to bring an appreciation of these changing conditions to the study of legal ethics and law practice in a variety of settings, and to promote law schools’ collective commitment to improving the delivery of legal services.”
—
Alyson M. Drake
Reference Librarian
Joined in Fall 2012
Education:
JD – William and Mary
MLS – University of Maryland
BA – Nazareth College
Courses Taught:
Legal Research, Analysis & Writing I
Legal Research, Analysis & Writing II
Scholarly Interest:
Curriculum development for legal research instruction
“My scholarly interests include legal research instruction curriculum development because as a law student with a Master’s in Library and Information Science, I was surprised at how little formal research instruction was given at many law schools, particularly since strong research skills are one of a lawyer’s most important tools.”
—
Josh Gupta-Kagan
Assistant Professor of Law
Joining in Fall 2013
Education:
JD – New York University
BA – Yale
Previous Appointment:
Lecturer in Law and Staff Attorney, Civil Justice Clinic: Children and Family Defense Project,Washington University School of Law
Scholarly Interest:
Legal issues affecting children and families
“I study how the law regulates children and their families, and especially how the state intervenes when children may have been abused or neglected or may have committed delinquent acts. As a society, we owe it to children to figure out legal systems that can intervene as effectively as possible, while respecting the rights of children as individuals and as members of their families.”
—
April M. Hathcock
Reference Librarian
Joined in May 2013
Education:
MLS – University of South Florida
JD – Duke
LLM – Duke
BA – Agnes Scott College
Previous Appointment:
Instructional Support Specialist & Adjunct Instructor of Ethics, St. Petersburg College
Scholarly Interest:
International and comparative law
“As a former Army brat, I have always been fascinated by the rules and customs that make up the cornerstone of international relations. My interest in international and comparative law has grown naturally from my global upbringing.”
—
Colin Miller
Associate Professor of Law
Joined in Fall 2012
Education:
JD – William and Mary
BA – University of Virginia
Courses Taught:
Criminal Adjudication
Criminal Law
Evidence
Previous Appointment:
Associate Professor of Law, John Marshall Law School
Scholarly Interest:
Evidence law
“I decided to focus on Evidence as my field of study because I am concerned about the fairness of the process that citizens receive in the American justice system. Whether you are involved in a criminal action or a civil action, a property dispute or a contract dispute, the rules of evidence will play a pivotal role in whether you can prove your case.”
—
Aparna Polavarapu
Assistant Professor of Law
Joined in Fall 2012
Education:
MALD – Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy
JD – Georgetown
BS – MIT
Courses Taught:
International Human Rights Skills Course
Rule of Law Seminar
Transnational Law
Previous Appointment:
Teaching Fellow/Supervising Clinic Attorney, Georgetown Law Center
Scholarly Interest:
Rights-based approaches to rule-of-law development
“I focus on rights-based approaches to rule of law development because it is unfortunately very easy for less powerful voices to be ignored when laws are being reformed or institutions being built. Through a rights-based lens I can analyze how legal and institutional reform can be more responsive to the needs of the marginalized.”
—
Ned Snow
Associate Professor of Law
Joined in Fall 2012
Education:
JD – Harvard
BA – Brigham Young
Courses Taught:
Copyright Law
Cyberlaw
Intellectual Property
Property
Previous Appointment:
Associate Professor of Law, University of Arkansas
Scholarly Interest:
Constitutional issues in copyright law
“The interplay between the Constitution and copyright law has always fascinated me. I have appreciated the opportunity to examine the rich history of constitutional copyright law in light of modern practices and norms that are yet emerging through new technologies.”
—
Candle M. Wester
Assistant Director for Faculty Services
Joined in Fall 2012
Education:
MSLIS – University of Illinois
JD – University of Nebraska
BS – Nebraska Wesleyan
Previous Appointment:
Access Services Librarian & Assistant Professor,Southern Illinois University School of Law
Scholarly Interests:
Mentoring, law library management, bioethics
“My areas of scholarly interest include mentoring, law library management, intellectual property, and bioethics. Bioethics in particular fascinates me because there are so many complex layers to it and it is an area where a number of different disciplines are weaved together.”