Atlanta Bar Association 125th Year Anniversary Celebration Luncheon
Tuesday, February 25, 2014, 11:00am
Piedmont Driving Club
American Bar Association President-Elect
William C. Hubbard of Columbia, S.C. is president-elect of the American Bar Association. His term began at the conclusion of the ABA Annual Meeting in San Francisco.
Hubbard plans to focus during his term on legal education reform, access to justice for the poor, disparities in incarceration, diversity in the legal profession, independence of the judiciary, the judicial confirmation process, helping young lawyers succeed, and developing a blueprint to help lawyers and judges adapt to technology and globalization.
Hubbard practices business litigation related to breach of contract, business torts, breach of fiduciary duty claims, unfair trade practices, energy and utilities disputes, and class actions.
Hubbard has held a variety of leadership positions within the ABA. He served two years as chair of the ABA House of Delegates (2008-10) and is the immediate past president of the American Bar Foundation. He is a past president of the American Bar Endowment. He also served on the ABA Board of Governors, the ABA Standing Committee on the Federal Judiciary, and chaired the ABA Young Lawyers Division. He is a member of the council of the American Law Institute, and is a fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers.
Hubbard chairs the board of directors of the World Justice Project, a multinational, multidisciplinary initiative to strengthen the rule of law worldwide. He is a permanent member of the U.S. Fourth Circuit Judicial Conference. In addition to South Carolina, he is also admitted to practice before the U.S. Supreme Court, 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, the U.S. District Court for the District of South Carolina, and the District of Columbia. Additionally, Hubbard has served on the board of trustees of the University of South Carolina since 1986, including as chairman of the board from 1996-2000.
In 2002, Hubbard received the Order of the Palmetto, the highest civilian award given by the governor of South Carolina. He has been honored several times by his alma mater, receiving the University of South Carolina’s Distinguished Alumni Award (2009), the USC School of Law Compleat Lawyer Platinum Award (2010) and the University’s highest recognition, the Honorary Doctor of Laws (2010). Hubbard received the American Inns of Court Professionalism Award for the Fourth Circuit in 2007. He is listed in The Best Lawyers in America.
Before joining Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough, Hubbard served as a law clerk for Judge Robert F. Chapman of the U.S. District Court for the District of South Carolina. He graduated from the University of South Carolina in 1974 with a bachelor’s degree in history. He received his juris doctor from the USC School of Law in 1977.