USC Law School announces new dean

The University of South Carolina School of Law has named Robert M. Wilcox as its new dean.

Wilcox, a legal-ethics scholar and the associate dean for academic affairs at the school, will succeed Walter “Jack” Pratt, who will return to teaching, the school said in a press release. Wilcox’s appointment becomes effective on July 1.

USC president Harris Pastides said Wilcox’s knowledge and experience as a professor and an administrator will make him a strong leader.

“Rob Wilcox has built a distinguished career as a lawyer, a professor and a dean. He has earned the respect of his colleagues in the law school and the legal community, the affection of the students and the admiration of alumni,” Pastides said in the release.

“These accomplishments, along with Rob’s ability to inspire trust and forge relationships, will serve the law school well as it moves into a new era, one marked by investments in new programs, facilities, faculty replenishment and expanded student services,” he said.

Wilcox has taught ethics and professionalism, property and wills and trusts during his teaching career, according to the release.

A Charleston native, he graduated cum laude from Duke University with a B.A. in economics and history in 1978 and magna cum laude from the USC law school in 1981. After working as an associate in the Washington and Atlanta offices of Dow, Lohnes and Albertson, he joined USC as an assistant professor of law in 1986. He was promoted to associate professor in 1991, professor in 2001 and associate dean in 2006. From 2003-2008, he directed the Nelson, Mullins, Riley & Scarborough Center on Professionalism in the law school.