Law school's 1st dean returning to classroom

Gershon has held post since school opened in 2004

The first dean of the Charleston School of Law is stepping down to return to the classroom.

Richard Gershon, who has served as dean since the school's inception, will become a full-time teacher at the school effective Dec. 31, according to a statement from the board of directors.

Ralph McCullough, managing director of the school's board, sent an e-mail to all faculty, students and staff Thursday announcing Gershon's decision. McCullough praised Gershon's work in guiding the school from its beginning to the granting of its provisional accreditation. Gershon "presided over the school's first graduation and a quite respectable first class bar passage rate," McCullough wrote.

The Charleston School of Law opened in August 2004 as the second law school in South Carolina. The school's first class of 186 lawyers graduated in May, and 70 percent of graduates who took the state's bar exam passed.

Law schools cannot earn provisional accreditation from the American Bar Association until they are open for at least two years, and the Charleston School of Law earned its accreditation in December 2006. The association's council initially deferred a decision on the provisional accreditation application until the school answered concerns about its staffing, diversity, governance and library.

Gershon said it's a "healthy" time for the law school's leadership to make transitions, as the next step in the school's attempt to gain full accreditation occurs next fall. Gershon said he didn't want his five-year contract to expire in the middle of that process and felt the timing was better now.

Gershon said he's proud of the school's direction. "The firsts are pretty much done at this point," he said. "It's a real place now."

Charleston Mayor Joe Riley said Gershon's leadership helped guide the school through its start-up challenges and said the dean built a "sound and solid" foundation.

"He's worked for several years to get over all of the hurdles you must clear to start a new law school, and he did it successfully with grace and aplomb," said Riley, who serves on the law school's advisory board.

Before joining the Charleston School of Law, Gershon served as dean of Texas Wesleyan University's School of Law. He plans to teach courses in wills and trusts this spring.

Andy Abrams, a professor specializing in education and sports law, will serve as interim dean as the board of directors establishes a selection process to search for the law school's permanent leader.

Reach Mindy B. Hagen at 937-5433 or mhagen@postand courier.com.