Board of Trustees

Charleston School of Law

Board of Trustees

Jane H. Aiken | Esquire, Elected Trustee

Dean Aiken is the former Dean of Wake Forest University School of Law (2019-2022), and Professor Emerita at Georgetown University Law Center. Dean Aiken came to Wake Forest Law from Georgetown where she was the Blume Professor of Law. At Georgetown University Law Center, in addition to being a faculty member, she served in many administrative roles including Vice Dean, Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, and Associate Dean for Experiential Education and Public Service.

Aiken taught both doctrinally and clinically. In 2010 she founded the Community Justice Project to enable students to represent both organizations and individuals in cases involving questions of justice where remedies are often transactional, policy-based, or require extraordinary measures for adjudication.

Before joining the faculty at Georgetown, Aiken was the William Van Cleve Professor of Law at Washington University in St. Louis. While at Washington University, she was selected as a Fulbright Scholar to teach law at Tribhuvan University in Kathmandu, Nepal.

She has also taught in law schools at the University of South Carolina and Arizona State
University.

Dean Aiken has directed a wide array of clinics involving prisoner’s rights, domestic violence against women and children, HIV, homelessness, police brutality, and international human rights. She has been a Carnegie Scholar for Teaching and Learning and was a member of the ABA Council on Legal Education from 2011 to 2017. She is a member of ALI and the American Bar Foundation. She received the Frank Flegal Award for Excellent Teaching at Georgetown in 2010 and the Faculty Member of the Year Award in 2013.

J. Edward Bell III | Esquire, Founder, Trustee, President Emeritus & Chairman of the Board

South Carolina attorney Ed Bell founded Bell Legal Group more than 40 years ago. With offices in Georgetown, SC and Raleigh, NC, he focuses his practice on a variety of cases that range from medical malpractice, personal injury, automobile safety and defects, product liability, environmental law, police misconduct, and prison abuse.

During his 40-year career as a South Carolina lawyer, Ed Bell has distinguished himself as a top litigation attorney at local, state, and national levels through his ability to relate to jurors and explain the difficult aspects of complex litigation matters. His experience put him at the forefront of jury research, when he was involved in the initial founding of the Arvada Jury Project, a research project that analyzed the impact of trial lawyers and jury attitudes. This project drastically changed the way trial attorneys present their cases to juries.

Bell’s unique approach to litigation also led him to establish a research center at his firm headquarters in Georgetown. Through his experience as a South Carolina trial attorney, he developed this center to assist Bell Legal Group attorneys with unraveling the technical intricacies in a case and transforming them into a story that can be easily told to jurors. In the center, engineers, researchers, and support staff follow cases from beginning to end, exploring a case’s complex facts, researching medical topics, investigating defects in automobiles, building trial exhibits, and untangling the complex nature of each issue surrounding malpractice, personal injury, and accident cases.

Bell has been named as lead counsel in numerous civil complex litigation cases throughout the United States and brings a unique perspective along with strong litigation experience. He has tried more than 400 cases nationally and throughout the state.

A native of Sumter, lives in Georgetown, Bell enjoys spending time with his wife, five children and seven grandchildren.

Benton Burroughs, Jr. | Esquire, Elected Trustee

Benton Burroughs is a partner at Reed Smith. He and his colleagues have negotiated investment contracts with private equity, real estate, and hedge funds on behalf of public pension system clients, such as the Virginia Retirement System, the South Carolina Retirement System Investment Commission, the Contra Costa County (CA) Employees Retirement Association, the San Jose Federated Employee Retirement System, the San Jose Police & Fire Retirement Plan, the Santa Barbara County Employees Retirement System, the Ventura County Employees Retirement Association, the Fairfax County School Employees Retirement System, the Norfolk Employees’ Retirement System, and the Richmond Retirement System.

Burroughs has been the primary outside investment and securities counsel for the state of Virginia Retirement System (“VRS”) since 1995. He has represented VRS in more than 900 private equity transactions and numerous SWAP transactions, totaling in excess of $120 billion. Additionally, he worked on the commencement of the hedge fund investment program and reviewed more than 120 hedge fund transactions where VRS has invested in excess of $1.6 billion.

Mr. Burroughs holds a J.D. from Emory and an LL.M. from Georgetown University Law Center.

Kim A. Collins, MD | Elected Trustee

Dr. Kimberly Ann Collins is a practicing physician with the Newberry Pathology Group at Newberry Memorial Hospital (South Carolina). Dr. Collins is certified with the Anatomic Pathology Board Certification, American Board of Pathology (1995), Clinical Pathology Board Certification, American Board of Pathology (1995), and the Forensic Pathology Board Certification, American Board of Pathology (1996).

She has served on multiple medical editorial boards including the Archives of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine (2003 – present), Section Editor, Autopsy Pathology (2005-present), American Journal of Forensic Medicine and Pathology (2004 – present), eMedicine, (2008-present), Autopsy Section Editor (2008-present), Journal of Forensic Sciences (2010-present), Journal of Forensic Science, Medicine, and Pathology (2010 – present), and Academic Forensic Pathology (2018-present).

Dr. Collins is a nationally renowned physician, advocate, author, and educator of medical pathology. Her subject matter expertise has led to numerous film appearances and presentations regarding her work and research during her 30+ years of experience in the field. Collins has also published hundreds of articles on pathology.

The Honorable P. Michael Duffy | Esquire, Founder, Trustee, United States District Judge (retired)

Judge Duffy is a retired United States District Judge for the District of South Carolina. Prior to serving on the District Court, Judge Duffy served on active duty with the United States Army in Germany, was the Assistant County Attorney for Charleston County, South Carolina, and worked in private practice. He has been admitted to practice in all courts in South Carolina and the U.S. District Court for the District of South Carolina, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, U.S. Claims Court, U.S. Tax Court, U.S. Court of International Trade, and the U.S. Supreme Court. Judge Duffy is a permanent member of the Fourth Circuit Judicial Conference. He maintains memberships in the Charleston County and American Bar Associations and served on the Executive Committee of the South Carolina Board of Commissioners on Grievances and Discipline from 1986 to 1989.

Judge Duffy was an Advocate of the American Board of Trial Advocates, where he served as chapter representative to the National Board from 1988 to 1991, and was elected president of the Charleston Chapter in 1991. Judge Duffy is a past president of South Carolina Irish Historical Society. He serves on the boards of numerous charitable foundations in the United States and Ireland.

He is a senior bencher of The Citadel Inn of Court and has served on the board of numerous civic organizations. Judge Duffy has written and lectured widely on various litigation topics and teaches at the National Advocacy Center on a recurring basis. He was awarded an Honorary Doctor of Law degree from The Citadel in 2000 and an Honorary Doctor of Law degree from the Charleston School of Law in 2011.

Judge Duffy holds a B.A from The Citadel and a J.D. from the University of South Carolina School of Law.

Joseph C. Good, Jr. | Esquire, Elected Trustee

Joseph Good, Jr. received his B.A. from Wofford College in 1967 and his J.D. from the University of South Carolina School of Law. Mr. Good served his country as an officer in the United States Army, returning from active duty to serve his state as an Assistant Attorney General, prosecuting all types of cases from DUIs to felony charges.

In 1973, Good joined SCANA Corporation as a corporate counsel and served in numerous legal and management positions. In 1987, Mr. Good became the General Counsel of the Medical University of South Carolina and was appointed an Associate Professor, teaching Employment and Health Law.

Since his retirement from MUSC in July 2012, Good has remained a consultant to the University for legal matters and has handled numerous mediations, arbitrations and regulatory matters. Good was formally recognized in June 2012 by the South Carolina Legislature for his service to the state.

Good is licensed to practice law in federal and South Carolina courts and is admitted to practice before the United States Supreme Court. He is a member of the American Bar Association, the South Carolina Bar Association, the Charleston County Bar Association, and he is a South Carolina Court Certified Mediator.

The Honorable George C. Kosko | Esquire, Founder, Trustee, United States Magistrate Judge (retired)

Judge Kosko was appointed as a United States Magistrate Judge for the District of South Carolina in 2000 and retired in 2008. His judicial duties spanned both the Greenville and Charleston Divisions, where he presided over a wide range of cases.

After graduating from the University of South Carolina with a bachelor’s degree in economics, Judge Kosko continued his education at the university’s School of Law. Following his admission to the Bar, he was appointed as the first Family Court Solicitor in South Carolina. He successfully addressed the issue of overcrowded juvenile dockets and later merged his responsibilities with the Solicitors Office.

Subsequently, Judge Kosko established his private law practice.  There, he gained recognition for representing airports, pilots, operators, and aviation insurance syndicates. His outstanding contributions to the field of aviation law led him to write the first edition of South Carolina Jurisprudence on Aviation and present papers at various esteemed associations and organizations.

Beyond his legal career, Judge Kosko has served on numerous boards, including the Board of Visitors of the Medical University of South Carolina, the Coastal Carolina School of Business, and the Tidelands Hospital in Georgetown. He has also held notable leadership positions, such as State Governor of Sertoma for two terms, President of the Richland Sertoma, and Vice President of the United States Federal Magistrate Association. In the latter role, he was honored to advise the Courts of Croatia and deliver lectures on alternative dispute resolution options.

The Honorable Ronnie A. Sabb | Esquire, Elected Trustee

Senator Ronnie Sabb is a Williamsburg County native who resides in Greeleyville, South Carolina. He graduated from C.E. Murray High School in 1976, he received a bachelor of science degree in mathematics from Voorhees College in 1980 and was later inducted into Voorhees’ Hall of Fame. Sabb earned his law degree from the University of Florida in 1987. He was admitted to the South Carolina Bar and the United States District Court in 1988.

Sabb is the president and chief executive officer of the Sabb Law Group, with offices located in Kingstree and Lake City, South Carolina. His practice concentrates heavily in the areas of personal injury, tractor trailer wrecks, automobile seatbelt failures, train wrecks, and job-related injuries. He has represented thousands of clients injured in motor vehicle collisions, on-the-job accidents, and slip-and-fall cases. Although primarily a plaintiff’s lawyer, Sabb has occasionally been associated as counsel by civil defense firms. In addition to his law practice, he served as an assistant solicitor with the third judicial circuit for over twenty years. He was the first African American to serve as the attorney for the City of Lake City and to serve as general counsel for Santee Electric Cooperative, where he has worked for the last seventeen years.

Sabb has earned many honors throughout his career and is or has been a member of several civic service, professional, and community organizations, including the Williamsburg County Bar Association, the Board of Governors for the South Carolina Association for Justice, the American Association for Justice, the National Bar Association, and the Board of Governors for the South Carolina Bar Association. He was recently bestowed the honor of being inducted into the American Board of Trial Advocates, a prestigious national organization of experienced trial lawyers and judges committed to the preservation and promotion of the civil jury trial system.

Sabb is a former member of the Williamsburg County School Board. In his spare time, he also serves as a volunteer basketball coach for the Pee Dee All-Stars AAU Girls Basketball Team. He is a deacon at Good Hope Missionary Baptist Church in Greeleyville, South Carolina. In November of 2010, he was elected to the South Carolina House of Representatives for District Seat 101. In November 2014 Sabb was elected as the first African-American Senator for Senate District 32.

Reverend Max A. Wilkins | Elected Trustee

Reverend Max A. Wilkins served as the President and CEO for TMS Global in Norcross, Georgia. He retired in April 2024. Wilkins earned his undergraduate degree in English/Psychology from the University of South Florida (1984) and a Master of Divinity from Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia (1987). In addition, Reverend Wilkins earned a Doctor of Ministry, ABD from Asbury Theological Seminary in Wilmore, KY and a Post-Doctoral Diploma in Organizational Leadership from Said Business School, Oxford University in England.

Reverend Wilkins has served as a missionary in Mexico, Haiti, Dominican Republic, Honduras, Belize, Guatemala, El Salvador, Colombia, Brazil, Ghana, Kenya, India, Spain, Taiwan, Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, Tonga, and Israel.

Reverend Wilkins was named the Paul Harris Fellow (1999), and he has been honored with an Honorary Doctorate (DD) from Pacific-Rim College (2010) and an Honorary Doctorate (DD) from St. Thomas Christian University  (2013). Wilkins is married and lives in Norcross, Georgia with his wife Dorothy and two children (Jennifer and Joshua).

Charleston Law Directory

Contact Information

385 Meeting Street
Charleston, S.C. 29403

Phone: (843) 377-2143
Email: info@charlestonlaw.edu

Mon – Fri 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.

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