The National College of District Attorneys announces
Congressional Award to the National Center for Prosecution Ethics

For Immediate Release October 10, 2003

COLUMBIA, SC – The National College of District Attorneys and the University of South Carolina School of Law are pleased to announce the receipt of a $268,064 award from Congress for work at the National Center for Prosecution Ethics.  The National Center for Prosecution Ethics, which is sponsored by the National College of District Attorneys and the University of South Carolina School of Law, is dedicated to the promotion of the highest ethical standards for prosecutors.

South Carolina ’s senior Senator, Fritz Hollings, shepparded the award through Congress.  “Senator Hollings has always been an avid supporter of effective and ethical prosecution and the rule of law, as demonstrated by the establishment of the Hollings National Advocacy Center for the training of federal, state and local prosecutors.  We thank him for his efforts in securing this award,” said Robert S. Fertitta, Dean of the National College of District Attorneys.

The National College of District Attorneys, the training arm of the National District Attorneys Association, has been engaged in training prosecuting attorneys for over thirty years.  Founded in 1970, the College was housed at the University of Houston Law School until 1999 when the College moved to the University of South Carolina School of Law.  From 1970 to 1998, the College offered courses for state and local prosecutors at the University of Houston Law School and other sites around the country.  Since 1998, the College has conducted most of its advocacy-based courses at the National Advocacy Center on the University of South Carolina campus.  In addition to its advocacy-based programs at the National Advocacy Center , the College conducts approximately 20 five-day courses and one nine-day course each year at various locations across the country.  Since its founding, every course presented by the College has included a component relating to the professional responsibilities of prosecutors.  In addition, the College has published three books on prosecutorial ethics over the years and another publication on office administration for prosecutors devotes an entire chapter to prosecution ethics.

The National Center for Prosecution Ethics will be a place of study and objective analysis of legislative enactments, judicial rules and decisions as well as proposals by bar associations, state prosecutorial associations and state and national defense lawyer associations.  The Center will be proactive as well as reactive.  A fundamental asset of the Center will be a Resource Center that will serve as an information hub where prosecutors will be able to collect and disseminate materials relating to rules, standards and guidelines, along with administrative and judicial opinions concerning the professional responsibility of prosecutors – all of which will eventually be accessible around the country via the Internet.  In addition, the National Center for Prosecution Ethics will assist the School of Law , the National College of District Attorneys, the National District Attorneys Association, local prosecutors’ offices and the various states in designing courses of instruction, conducting educational programs, and developing strategies for the implementation of rules of professional responsibility more considerate of the uniqueness of the prosecution function.

An advisory committee will meet regularly to give direction to the Center and assure continuing contact with the current state of prosecutorial ethics.  The members of the committee would be representative of state, local and federal prosecution offices; the private bar; the judiciary and the faculty of the law school.

The Director of the Center is Amie L. Clifford, currently an Assistant Director with the National College of District Attorneys, who has formerly served as an Assistant Solicitor for Charleston County and an Assistant Attorney General with the South Carolina Attorney General’s Office.  The liaison from the School of Law is Professor Robert M. Wilcox, who has been with the School of Law since 1986 and is co-author of Annotated South Carolina Rules of Professional Conduct.

Questions or comments should be directed to Toney Rish (803) 544-5087.