When Tricia Alexander Howard ‘01 learned that she was to become the new clerk of court for the S.C. Supreme Court, her response was what can be expected of a Blue Hose – excitement over the opportunity to serve.

“I am honored and humbled to be selected,” Howard said, “… and am thrilled to start my new role where I will have the opportunity to continue to serve the South Carolina Judicial Branch and to regularly interact with lawyers across the state.”

Indeed, Howard has spent a majority of her legal career – more than 14 years – serving in the state’s judicial branch, beginning as a law clerk with the Hon. C. Tolbert Goolsby Jr., one of the original members of the S.C. Court of Appeals.

After practicing law in a firm in Columbia, she returned to the Court of Appeals, rising to the role of chief staff attorney in 2011. In that capacity, Howard managed an office of fifteen staff attorneys. She also served as the in-house mentor for new attorneys as part of the mandatory lawyer mentoring program administered by the South Carolina Supreme Court’s Commission on Continuing Legal Education. Those experiences, she said, were vital to understanding her new job.

“As the (former) chief staff attorney for the S.C. Court of Appeals, I have been blessed with the opportunity to learn from many great mentors and to manage and mentor approximately 70 bright and enthusiastic staff attorneys,” Howard said. “I feel that my background has prepared me to supervise the administration of the Supreme Court clerk’s office and bar admissions and I am confident that serving as the clerk of court for the Supreme Court of South Carolina will be the highlight of my career.”

As the clerk of court for the state’s highest court, Howard will lead the office responsible for processing and scheduling matters that are filled with the state’s Supreme Court. The Clerk’s Office also is responsible for publishing the opinions and orders of the Supreme Court and Court of Appeals, as well as notices, rule changes, and other documents of general interest.

Obviously, Howard’s juris doctor from the University of South Carolina School of Law put her on the path to serving in the judiciary branch. But her undergraduate degree, she said, played an equally important role.

“My liberal arts education at PC is the cornerstone of my education and professional career,” Howard said. “The strong emphasis on writing and critical thinking skills at PC, along with the interactive classes with a low student-faculty ratio, prepared me to succeed in law school and as an attorney.”

Howard met her husband Craig on the first day of orientation at PC. The couple has three sons and attends Spring Valley Presbyterian Church in Columbia, where Tricia serves as a deacon.

Read the full article on SCCourts.org »