Family is key to Gossett’s success
When Cade Gossett crosses the stage at Commencement this Saturday, the newly minted Charleston School of Law graduate will accept the degree with a sense of great humility and gratitude.
“I couldn’t have done law school without my wife’s (Emily) support and encouragement,” said Gossett. “Having a supportive family outside of law school really helped a lot.”
His journey to Charleston began amidst a storm – literally.
“I remember when Dean Bell called,” he said. “I was in a storm shelter in Tuscaloosa under a tornado warning.”
Jacqueline Bell, Dean of Admissions at Charleston Law, congratulated Gossett on his acceptance. Unbeknownst to her, a storm was bearing down on the state of Alabama. “I was obviously excited, and she asked me if I had any questions,” he said. “I couldn’t think of any questions at that moment. I explained that we were in a storm shelter.”
In the moment, Charleston, South Carolina sounded really nice compared to Alabama.
Gossett, a Centre, Alabama native, told Emily (then his girlfriend), “We should visit Charleston. So, we came and took a campus tour, and I instantly knew that’s where I was supposed to be.”
MEETING THE CHALLENGE
The next time Gossett came to Charleston he had Emily and a U-Haul stuffed with all his belongings.
“The day after we moved, we got engaged on the battery in downtown Charleston,” said Gossett. “I got married the summer after my first year of law school.”
Gossett remembers the challenges vividly. Moving to a new city. Starting law school. Planning a wedding.
“It was a very busy season of life,” he said. “It was difficult to balance and there were a lot of adjustments the first few months. But those challenges helped shape me and helped me develop critical thinking skills and maturity. If they hadn’t been challenging I wouldn’t be where I am now.”
Emily, his fiancé at the time, would drop Cade off each morning for orientation, pick him up at the end of the day and the couple would have dinner and talk about what happened that day.
“I didn’t know what to expect,” he said. “Law school was a lot different than undergrad. You get put in class sections with 40-45 people and you walk in, and you don’t know a soul. That can produce some anxiety. But I believe nothing builds a bond like adversity and doing something together and everybody in our section really bonded. I encourage law school students to be flexible and give yourself some grace when you’re starting out. It’s something completely new and you’re going to have challenges, but those challenges are going to help mold and shape you.”
THE PURR-FECT ADDITION TO THE FAMILY
As Cade and Emily finally settled into their new place in West Ashley, a new four-legged friend arrived. Each morning as Gossett left home for come to campus, a small cat would be sitting on the hood of his Jeep, purring and meowing for some food.
“He was just a stray and we started feeding him a little bit,” he said. “Then, he kept coming back and we took him in and brought him with us and he’s been with us ever since.”
They named him West Ashley.
“He was right by my side and studied with me for every assessment, midterm and final exam,” said Gossett. “He’s excited about graduation.”
A BRIGHT FUTURE
Gossett earned his undergraduate degree in News Media with a concentration in Sports from the University of Alabama (’21) and this Saturday he will add his Juris Doctor from Charleston School of Law.
At the annual Spring Awards ceremony, Gossett received the SBA Senator of the Year award. In addition to his service on the Student Bar Association, Gossett was Vice President of External Competitions for Trial Advocacy Board, Exchequer/Phi Delta Phi, President, Charleston School of Law Student Ambassador, Entertainment and Sports Law Society and the Street Law Clinic.
“I have watched Cade grow in and out of the classroom,” said Dean Bell. “As a student, he has been involved in our clinics program, mock trail and he rose to president of our student ambassadors’ program. He is dedicated and loyal and he has always gone the extra mile.”
Gossett also served as a law clerk for the Charleston-based law firm Ashcraft & Gerel last summer.
“I didn’t even know what a tort was,” said Gossett. “I worked side-by-side with attorneys and I learned a ton about the civil lawsuit process. Now I’ll be working in a firm that’s going to does mass torts.”
Emily, now his wife, returned to school after arriving in Charleston and earned her Master’s in Education online. She is now teaching English language arts to fourth grade students at Daniel Island Elementary School.
“It’s just amazing to look back and see where we were, our goals and dreams and that we’ve accomplished those,” he said. “We have two more degrees. We are starting our careers. It’s hard to put into words, but Charleston was the perfect place. I can’t state how important that was for us to move somewhere that we’ve never been to and take on those challenges and really grow together.
“I don’t think that there’s any other school or city that we would have been able to go and grow like we did and it’s all because of the law school community. Charleston is second to none and it just became home over three years.”