Among other problems swept under the rug (excuse me, relegated to the back pages) of the P & C's reporting on the most recent meeting of the CCSD School Board was a one-sentence announcement that the Board has finally solved the draining of resources caused by not having its own staff attorney.The sentence: "-- The school board agreed to hire new district staff attorney John Emerson and pay him $145,000 annually."
Now, that sounds like a lot of money to most ordinary people, who make a great deal less. It also sounds good after the approaching-half-a-million-dollar item for legal expenses on CCSD's expenditures record for this year.
HOWEVER. It's not that much for an experienced lawyer, especially one with the following description as provided on the website of Nexsen Pruet's Columbia office:
So are we to assume that $145,000 represents a cap on the fees that will be paid to Emerson or a base salary to which extra hours will be added? Or is this a part-time position? Or is Emerson so desperate to live in Charleston that he jumped at the chance to represent one of the most litigious and litigated against school districts in the state (yummy!)? Obviously he has the right political connections.John Emerson practices in Nexsen Pruet's Employment and Labor Law Group and in the firm's Business Litigation Group. Mr. Emerson has been certified as a specialist in Employment and Labor Law by the South Carolina Supreme Court. He advises clients on all employment matters. Mr. Emerson has appeared on behalf of management in state and federal courts throughout South Carolina.
He has also appeared before state and federal administrative bodies including the Employment Security Commission, the South Carolina Human Affairs Commission, and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Mr. Emerson is a frequent speaker on employment issues including wage and hour law, discrimination claims, and at-will employment.
In 2005 the Alumni Association of the University of South Carolina School of Law presented Mr. Emerson with the Compleat Lawyer Award (Silver). The award recognizes alumni who have "made a significant contribution to the legal profession and who exemplify the highest standard of professional competence, ethics and integrity." The Silver Award is given to attorneys in practice for 14 years or fewer.
While continuing to practice law, Mr. Emerson served as Chairman of the South Carolina Educational Television Commission (2001-2004). He was appointed by Governor Jim Hodges to lead the Commission, which oversees South Carolina's public television and radio networks.
- Former Judicial Clerk to the Hon. Robert F. Chapman of the U.S. Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals (1992-93)
- Former Chair, Public Relations Committee of the Tort Trial and Insurance Practice Section, American Bar Association
- While attending law school, Mr. Emerson was a member of the student editorial board of the Real Property, Probate and Trust Journal and the ABA Moot Court Team. He was admitted to Order of Wig and Robe and received the John Holland Scholarship Award.
Time will tell.
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2 comments:
It's a f/t job - not fee based. He will work the 60-70+ hours along with the rest of the CCSD office rats and be paid what he's paid.
He will also receive a "Performance Compensation" for the money he saves the district. I don't think there is a whole lot of attorneys here making millions. The recent survey in the paper showed an average attorney salary at 100K. If he was making the major bucks, why would he give that up to take a desk job?
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