A crown jewel of the new law school, the Judge Karen J. Williams Courtroom can seat 300 and is suitable for hosting actual jury trials and appellate arguments, as well as moot court and mock trial competitions. Mixing modern technology with historic elements, the stately courtroom features large video screens and the original bench used by the South Carolina Supreme Court in the 1870s.
The courtroom’s namesake, the late Honorable Karen J. Williams, was a pioneer in South Carolina’s legal community. Throughout her life, she was known for her dignity and demeanor, as well as her commitment to justice and the rule of law. Judge Williams graduated first in her class from the School of Law in 1980.
After years of working as a trial attorney, Judge Williams was chosen by President George H.W. Bush to serve on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit in 1992. She reached the pinnacle of her career in 2007, when she was sworn in as the first female Chief Judge of that court—a position she held until her retirement in 2009.