Charleston Law launches Center for Trial Advocacy, names Chapman Director

The Board of Directors for Charleston Law, with the support of Interim Dean Jon Marcantel, approved the creation of the Charleston School of Law Center for Trial Advocacy and named Professor Suzanne Chapman as the inaugural Director.

The Center will serve law school students, alumni, and the local legal community by providing an opportunity to meet, collaborate, learn, and improve courtroom and advocacy skills. Through the opportunities provided by the Center for Trial Advocacy, students will receive practical advocacy knowledge, real-world experience, externships, and other networking opportunities.

“The opening of the Center not only recognizes our students’ previous achievements but also provides them with future opportunities to engage with, learn from, and work beside leaders in the field of litigation,” said Chapman. “We are excited about the future of the Charleston Law Center for Trial Advocacy and the opportunities it affords our students and the larger advocacy community.”

“We are delighted to launch the Charleston School of Law Center for Trial Advocacy and congratulate Professor Chapman, who will serve as our inaugural Director,” said Interim President Constance Anastopoulo. “The Center is consistent with our goal of improving and strengthening the skills needed for our students to become great advocates and litigators for their clients.”

For alumni and other members of the local legal community, the Center for Trial Advocacy will provide opportunities to engage with law students and with each other to improve their own courtroom skills through CLEs, speaking events, conferences, and other practical hands-on opportunities.

For the Charleston School of Law, the Center for Trial Advocacy provides an opportunity to continue its mission of preparing students for the practice of law in a community-centered institution. The Center will house the current Charleston Law co-curricular Trial Advocacy Board, an organization of students who have been selected to represent the law school at national trial competitions.

The opening of the Center comes on the heels of Chapman’s success in revitalizing the Trial Advocacy Board at the Charleston School of Law over the past two years.

“Since 2023, our students have been named Quarterfinalists twice, Semifinalists, Finalists, and won three Best Advocate Awards at National trial advocacy competitions,” said Chapman. “They are motivated to capitalize on their recent successes and to push for more next semester and in the years to come.”

Professor Suzanne Chapman teaches Legal Writing, Trial Advocacy, Advanced Evidence, and Construction Law at Charleston School of Law. Chapman has served as the Faculty Advisor to the Charleston Law Trial Advocacy Board since June 2023. In 2024, Chapman was appointed as the Region 5 Representative for the National Association of Legal Advocacy Educators (NALAE). She is a regular speaker and writer on topics related to Trial Advocacy and Evidence. Prior to joining Charleston Law as a full-time faculty member, Chapman was recognized by Super Lawyers as a “South Carolina Rising Star” for four consecutive years (2019-2022).