Harwell is 2013 Meet the Law Speaker
U.S. District Judge R. Bryan Harwell from the U.S. District Court, 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.
Harwell, who represents the District of South Carolina Florence Division, spoke to students on January 31 about what types of cases are tried in federal court, which include cases concerning employee discrimination, fraud, copyright and patent infringement, bankruptcy, admiralty cases and many others. The U.S. District Court of the District of South Carolina, Florence Davison handles all federal cases arising from Horry, Marion, Williamsburg, Florence, Dillon, Marlboro, Darlington and Chesterfield counties.
Harwell is a graduate of Clemson University and of the University of South Carolina Law School. After clerking for both a state and federal judge, he practiced law at Harwell, Ballenger, Barth and Hoefer in Florence for 20 years. He also taught business law at Francis Marion University.
In 2004, upon the recommendation by Senator Lindsey Graham, he was nominated by then President George W. Bush to serve as a judge for the United States District Court, and was confirmed by the United States Senate the same year. Since then, he has presided over a wide range of federal, civil and criminal matters at the federal trial-court level, and occasionally had the privilege of sitting with the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit.
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 professionals 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.
