Professor Suzanne Chapman teaches Legal Research, Analysis, and Writing; Trial Advocacy; Advanced Evidence; and Construction Law. Prior to joining the Charleston Law faculty, during her last four years of practice as a civil litigation attorney, Chapman was recognized by Super Lawyers as a “South Carolina Rising Star” (2019-2022). She currently serves as the Faculty Director for the Charleston School of Law’s Trial Advocacy Board; on the Board of Directors for South Carolina Legal Services; and on the Editorial Board for the Legal Writing Institute’s peer-reviewed publication The Second Draft. In 2024, Chapman was appointed to the National Association of Legal Advocacy Educators (NALAE) Board as the Region 5 Representative.
Chapman was a founding member and Partner at Ethridge Law Group until transitioning to Of Counsel to pursue teaching full-time. In private practice, Chapman focused on civil defense litigation including construction defect, insurance coverage, and other contractual disputes. Prior to cofounding Ethridge Law Group, Chapman worked as a civil litigation attorney at Carlock, Copeland & Stair (currently Copeland Stair Valz & Lovell). During her tenure at the private practice firms, she served as a sexual assault and rape crisis victim advocate for People Against Rape (currently Tri-County S.P.E.A.K.S.) and as an adjunct Professor at the Charleston School of Law and The Citadel.
Chapman received her J.D. with Honors from Charleston School of Law, where she served on the Executive Board for the Charleston Law Review and as the Vice President of the Trial Advocacy Board. She received the American College of Trial Lawyers’ Excellence in Trial Advocacy Award; the Charleston Law “Giving Back” Award for Outstanding Efforts in Public Service and Leadership; and was named a Presidential Scholar by the Medical University of South Carolina. Prior to law school, Chapman earned her Master’s Degree in Rhetoric and Composition with Highest Honors from Salisbury University.
Charleston School of Law
Charleston, South Carolina
Juris Doctor, magna cum laude, 2013
Salisbury University
Salisbury, Maryland
Master of Arts in Composition, Language, and Rhetoric, summa cum laude, 2010
Bachelor of Arts in English Literature, summa cum laude, 2008