Charleston School of Law names Abrams its dean

Appointment follows unanimous faculty agreement

Charleston educator Andy Abrams, interim dean of the Charleston School of Law since January, has been named the school's new dean, the Board of Directors announced Tuesday.

Tyrone Walker
The Post and Courier

Andy Abrams, the Charleston School of Law's new dean

Board Chairman Alex Sanders, one of the school's five founders, said a committee composed of faculty members, administrators, local and out-of-state lawyers and a student was charged with finding two or three good candidates and presenting them to the board. But, Sanders said, the school's faculty unanimously agreed that it wanted Abrams to be hired as dean.

"I can tell you how rare it is for faculty to unanimously do anything," Sanders said.

The search committee, in response to the faculty request, forwarded only Abrams' name to the board, Sanders said. And the board unanimously agreed to hire him.

Abrams said Tuesday that the job allows him to "impact the lives of students so they can impact the lives of others. It just doesn't get any better than that."

He said the school is on a good path so he doesn't plan any major changes, just to keep up the momentum. "We want to do what we're doing, but do more of it and do it better," he said.

He's the 4-year-old law school's second dean. He took over the top post on a temporary basis after Richard Gershon stepped down in January to return to teaching.

Sanders said Abrams' vast experience will serve the school well.

Abrams previously was general counsel to the College of Charleston and its provost. Prior to joining academia, Abrams, whose scholarly focus is in sports and education law, was a trial lawyer in Greenville, his hometown.

Abrams earned a bachelor's degree in political science from Furman University, a law degree from the University of South Carolina School of Law and a master's in law from the University of Virginia.

Sanders said that at the Charleston School of Law, Abrams was an "enormously popular law professor" before becoming interim dean.

"He's done a superb job" as interim dean, Sanders said, "and everybody likes him. So that's that."

Reach Diane Knich at 937-5491 or dknich@postandcourier.com.