William C. Hubbard is an American lawyer. He is the dean of the

University of South Carolina School of Law The University of South Carolina School of Law, also known as South Carolina Law School, is a professional school within the University of South Carolina. The school of law was founded in 1867, and remains the only public and non-profit law schoo ...

and a former partner at the law firm of Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough LLP, based in

Columbia, South Carolina Columbia is the capital of the U.S. state of South Carolina. With a population of 136,632 at the 2020 census, it is the second-largest city in South Carolina. The city serves as the county seat of Richland County, and a portion of the city ...

. Hubbard is a co-founder and chair of the board of directors of the

World Justice Project The World Justice Project (WJP) is an international civil society organization with the stated mission of "working to advance the rule of law around the world". It produces the World Justice Project Rule of Law Index, a quantitative assessment t ...

, an NGO that assesses the rule of law worldwide. He was President of the American Bar Association in 2014–15. Hubbard was appointed dean of the

with effect on 1 August 2020.

Background

Hubbard received his B.A. and J.D. degrees from the University of South Carolina. He served two years as chair of the ABA House of Delegates (2008–10). He also served as the President of both the American Bar Foundation and the American Bar Endowment. He is a member of the Council (emeritus) of the American Law Institute. He is a fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers. He is a permanent member of the U.S. Fourth Circuit Judicial Conference. In addition to South Carolina, Hubbard is also admitted to practice before the

U.S. Supreme Court The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all U.S. federal court cases, and over state court cases that involve a point o ...

, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, the U.S. District Court for the District of South Carolina and the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. He served on the board of trustees of the University of South Carolina from 1986 through 2020, including as chairman of the board from 1996 to 2000.

Awards and recognition

In 2002, Hubbard received the

Order of the Palmetto The Order of the Palmetto is the highest civilian honor awarded by the Governor of South Carolina. It is awarded to South Carolinians who demonstrate extraordinary lifetime achievement, service and contributions of national or statewide significance ...

, the highest civilian award given by the Governor of South Carolina. In 2010 he received the University of South Carolina's highest recognition, the Honorary Doctor of Laws. In 2007, he received the American Inns of Court Professionalism Award for the United States Court of Appeals, Fourth Circuit. In 2015, he was called to the bench as an Honorary Bencher of the

Middle Temple The Honourable Society of the Middle Temple, commonly known simply as Middle Temple, is one of the four Inns of Court exclusively entitled to call their members to the English Bar as barristers, the others being the Inner Temple, Gray's Inn an ...

in London. In 2023, Hubbard was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

Recent articles

*
Mass incarceration is a problem Louisiana Chief Justice Bernette Johnson wants fixed
– ''The Times Picayune'' (May 12, 2015) *

– ''Chicago Tribune'' (Mar. 16, 2015) *
Hubbard: Criminal justice system must face its own racial biases
– ''Houston Chronicle'' (Feb. 5, 2015)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hubbard, William C. University of South Carolina alumni South Carolina lawyers 20th-century American lawyers 21st-century American lawyers Living people Year of birth missing (living people) Presidents of the American Bar Association