Dickey, Williams to join law school faculty in fall

CHARLESTON, S.C., July 23, 2008 - - Professors Michael P. Dickey and Aleatra P. Williams will join the Charleston School of Law faculty in the fall as assistant professors, Dean Andy Abrams announced today.

Dickey to teach commercial transactions, alternate dispute resolution

"With outstanding civil litigation experience in the courtroom, Professor Dickey is a great addition to our full-time faculty," Abrams said. "His broad accomplishments from serving as a fighter pilot to being on the Florida Board of Bar Examiners will make him an exemplary member of the area's academic community."

Most recently a partner with Barron Redding, Hughes, Fite, Sanborn, Kiehn & Dickey in Panama City, Fla., Dickey served as lead litigation defense counsel in the 2006-07 "Girls Gone Wild" federal civil suit. A certified mediator by the Florida Supreme Court, he oversaw resolution of numerous disputes, from significant personal injury cases to complex real estate and business partnership disputes.

An F-15 fighter pilot with the United States Air Force from 1986 to 1994, Dickey flew 31 combat missions in Operation Desert Storm, served as a flight instructor and won several pilot awards. As a lawyer, he has served on the Florida Board of Bar Examiners since 2006 and been active in local, state and national Bar associations. Widely published in legal journals, Dickey graduated magna cum laude in 1997 from the University of Georgia School of Law. He has a master's degree in international relations from Troy State University and a bachelor's degree from the University of Southern California.

Williams to teach property, insurance law

"Professor Williams has a wide range of professional legal experience as a practitioner and as a professor that clearly will help our students learn an array of skills," Abrams said. "We feel quite fortunate to have her join our team."

A 1997 graduate of the University of Oklahoma School of Law with a master's degree in law from the University of California at Berkeley and a bachelor's degree from Purdue University, Professor Williams has served as a visiting assistant professor of law at the University of Minnesota and University of Louisville. She also has practiced corporate law in Oklahoma, including serving as in-house counsel for a company with more than 40 corporations.