Charleston Law earns 501(c)(3) status; interim president, new board chosen

The Charleston School of Law has transitioned to 501(c)(3) status, a long-standing goal of President Emeritus J. Edward Bell III, a news release says

This milestone comes as the school has announced Bell’s transition to emeritus status and the appointment of an interim president and its new board of trustees.

The school submitted an application in October 2023 to the American Bar Association’s Council on Legal Education and Admission to the Bar to approve the transition. By March 2024, it also had filed for a new license with the South Carolina Commission on Higher Education.

Interim Dean Jonathan A. Marcantel praised the development, noting its alignment with the school’s 20th-anniversary celebrations.

“It is an auspicious time in the life of the Law School,” Marcantel said. “In addition to celebrating our twentieth year of operation, we are now also celebrating the long-awaited dream of converting to a 501(c)(3).”

The transition also includes the election of a new board of trustees. In addition to Bell, the board’s members are:
• George C. Kosko, a founder of the school and a retired federal magistrate judge.
• Joseph C. Good Jr., the retired general counsel of the Medical University of South Carolina.
• P. Michael Duffy, a retired federal district judge.
• Jane H. Aiken, a retired dean and professor at Wake Forest University School of Law.
• Benton Burroughs Jr., a senior partner with Reed Smith, LLP Global Corporate Group.
• Ronnie A. Sabb, founder of the Sabb Law Group and a South Carolina state senator.
• Dr. Kimberly A. Collins.
• The Rev. Max A. Wilkins.

With Bell’s transition to president emeritus, Hal Cobb has been named the school’s interim president.

Cobb, a 2012 graduate and founder and senior partner at Cobb Hammett Andrews, previously chaired the Charleston School of Law Foundation. He emphasized his commitment to increasing alumni engagement and fundraising efforts to support student success and facility enhancements.

The school will begin a nationwide search for a permanent replacement for Bell, the release says.