South Carolina Secretary of State Mark Hammond was the guest lecturer for the recent “Meet the Law” lecture series, sponsored annually by the E. Craig Wall Sr. College of Business Administration at Coastal Carolina University.

Hammond spoke to students on April 5 about the important role played by the Secretary of State’s office in ensuring effective business commerce in South Carolina. He reviewed the office’s role in business incorporations, trademark registration, enforcement against counterfeit goods, and ensuring registration and transparency of charitable organization solicitations in the state.

Hammond is South Carolina’s 41st elected secretary of state and the longest serving constitutional officer in the state, now in his third term of office. A native of Lancaster and longtime resident of Spartanburg, he earned a bachelor’s degree in political science from Newberry College and a master’s degree in education from Clemson University. He began his career as a probation officer for the State Department of Youth Services and was later criminal investigator for the 7th Judicial Circuit Solicitor’s Office. In 1996, he was elected Spartanburg County clerk of the court, the first Republican to hold that office since Reconstruction. He was elected secretary of state in 2002.

During Hammond’s tenure, the Office of the Secretary of State has advanced the level of service provided to the businesses and citizens through aggresive implementation of digital technology (demonstrated to the students in his Meet the Law presentation). The office generates nearly $7 million back to the state for every $1 of state appropriation. Hammond is recognized nationwide for his leadership in the crackdown of counterfeit goods and protection of charitable donors from fraudulent solicitations.

The Meet the Law series is designed to complement the business law courses offered through the E. Craig Wall Sr. College of Business Administration. The purpose of the lectures is to give students the opportunity to meet and interact with practicing legal professions who work in the judicial or regulatory system at the national, state or local level.

“Students gain valuable insights through contact with those working in the fields they’re studying,” said Edgar Dyer, CCU’s executive vice president and chief operating officer. “It supplements their classroom experience and starts them thinking about career choices.”

The program was created by Wall College business law faculty members Henry Lowenstein and Andy Hendrick, who plan to invite one guest lecturer per semester. The lectures are open only to Wall College of Business students.

For more information contact Henry Lowenstein at 349-2827 or hlowenst@coastal.edu.