SC

CSOL “Savior” Makes His Move

WESTBROOK CREATES NON-PROFIT TO STALK LAW SCHOOL SALE By FITSNews  || This website has just begun to explore the rampant self-interest of Charleston School of Law (CSOL) “savior” Ed Westbrook.  For years we were led to believe he was a good guy with the best interests of the institution and…

WESTBROOK CREATES NON-PROFIT TO STALK LAW SCHOOL SALE

By FITSNews  || This website has just begun to explore the rampant self-interest of Charleston School of Law (CSOL) “savior” Ed Westbrook.  For years we were led to believe he was a good guy with the best interests of the institution and its students and alumni at heart, but our research of late has uncovered many hidden motivations.

For those unfamiliar with Westbrook (a minority owner of the school), he’s the Lowcountry lawyer who’s been working to block the sale of CSOL to Infilaw – a private company this website has frequently criticized.  But whatever one thinks of Infilaw, the company has negotiated a deal with CSOL’s owners to purchase the institution – and we’ve consistently said this deal should be honored by state regulators.

In fact these regulators have no authority not  to honor the deal … as their role is confined to licensing, not accreditation.

We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again: State government has no business blocking this sale, period.

Anyway, as part of Westbrook’s ongoing bid to disrupt the deal – which is needlessly occupying the time and attention of South Carolina’s legislature and higher education bureaucracy – he has created a new non-profit entity which he contends can purchase the law school in the event the Infilaw deal falls through.

In other words, in the event he can kill it … 

The organization – dubbed the Law School Transition Eleemosynary Corporation – consists of retired academics and the likes of Bart Daniel, one of suspended S.C. Speaker of the House Bobby Harrell’s lawyers.

What is the group’s function?  Nothing … as far as we can tell, other than stalking the CSOL-Infilaw deal.

We haven’t seen this group’s articles of incorporation, but we’re told it includes multiple references that underscore its own impotence in the event the CSOL-Infilaw deal goes through as planned.  And even if it doesn’t, what changes?  With whom, exactly, does Westbrook think his merry band of “non-profiteers” is going to negotiate?

Because it’s abundantly clear CSOL’s founders – i.e. the ones who have already negotiated the sale of an asset over which they have a controlling interest – aren’t going to cut a deal with him.

Westbrook knows this.  In fact, one legislative source told FITS his plan is nothing more than an attempt to sink the CSOL-Infilaw deal so that a plan to subsidize the school with tax dollars can be revived.

We have steadfastly opposed such a plan … and will continue to do so moving forward.

Our state’s higher education system needs to be privatized, not expanded.  Meanwhile the private sector needs to be permitted to operate free from the meddling of government bureaucrats and self-serving trial lawyers.

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21 comments

TSIB September 18, 2014 at 5:43 pm

Neither does the state of SC.

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Observant September 18, 2014 at 5:24 pm

Atlantic Magazine has a scathing article about Infilaw, and what has happened in Florida.

See:

http://www.theatlantic.com/features/archive/2014/08/the-law-school-scam/375069/

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Philip Branton September 19, 2014 at 10:06 am

Dear Admiral Observant……..

+10 points and a brass anchor….

“…..But for their debt-saddled, no-job-prospect graduates, they can be a nightmare….”

LOL…….no job prospects..? Heck, this website “smokes” up info on more prospective convicts than ever will waltz into any law office…!!!

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Philip Branton September 19, 2014 at 10:09 am

“….But midway through Frakt’s statistics-filled PowerPoint presentation, he was interrupted when Dennis Stone, the school’s president, entered the room. (Stone had been alerted to Frakt’s comments by e-mails and texts from faculty members in the room.) Stone told Frakt to stop “insulting” the faculty, and asked him to leave. Startled, Frakt requested that anyone in the room who felt insulted raise his or her hand. When no one did, he attempted to resume his presentation. But Stone told him that if he didn’t leave the premises immediately, security would be called. Frakt packed up his belongings and left……”

Hmm………kind of like the time I was allowed to speak in the Post and Courier Canteen….!!

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Queen Jean September 18, 2014 at 5:49 pm

WHAT!!!!! I was the SAVIOR of this law school in 2007 when I changed the BAR exam results to give CSOL a 70% pass rate and its accreditation was assured.

A delightful side benefit of my saving this school was it gave me a life time of protection of any Federal investigations by the U.S. Attorney’s office for all the unethical and probably illegal crap I have been able to pull since that time. Bill Nettles is NOT going to permit anything to happen to me. I can get his ex-father in law to pull those trust funds Alex set up with the money he made off of selling his stock in CSOL.

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anonymous September 18, 2014 at 9:28 pm

Your Highness, you finally said something close to the truth. Haha.

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Promissory Note Guarantor September 18, 2014 at 5:51 pm

For one who spends so much time and blather speaking to the advantages of the private sector, private businesses, and unfettered capitalism (and I agree with all) I find it fascinating how much effort you spend tending to the private affairs of others who are practicing what you preach (go vs. show).

Why is it your business what the minority partner is doing? If it weren’t for the scheming wits of people in the minority of those type matters, they would never become the majority. What the hell do you care? Do you stand to gain from either of the potential dispositions? If so, why don’t you declare your potential conflict of interest? After all, that’s what you demand of others, no?

Plots, planning, and scheming are everyday parts of the private business sector. Nothing new there. One possibly new thing to you is that most of them are smarter than “The Founding Editor.”

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idcydm September 18, 2014 at 6:06 pm

Those that can do, those that can’t create a blog.

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Philip Branton September 19, 2014 at 10:02 am

LOL …..the pen is mightier than the sword. Those that can do create a blog comment section……those that can’t go to CSOL and wait to speak in front of a jury who are not allowed to question the witness themselves…!!

The mind is a terrible thing to ………

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idcydm September 19, 2014 at 10:41 am

Are you sure the jury can not question the witness, some places they can.

Yes a mind is a terrible thing to ……

BTW aren’t you glad we have that sword backing up that pen.

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Philip Branton September 19, 2014 at 10:52 am

LOL…in the jury of the Court of Public Awareness all comment section jury members get to question the witness for all to see..!

Yep, I’m glad we have a sword backing up the pen; what people do not realize is that the sword and gun and ad dollars are pointed at the editor’s head to keep the sheep in the dark. In reality its the SHEEP who need to have the swords backing up their pens that are pointed back to the editors and advertisers…!

So many wasted minds…….

A Crook Is A Crook September 18, 2014 at 7:06 pm

You got it with the “plots,planning and scheming “part.

Funny you “free enterprisers” go crazy when government practices those”arts” but when a bunch of these Infilaw scumbags do it?

Just good capitalists!

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Promissory Note Guarantor September 18, 2014 at 7:11 pm

Drunk at 7:10 PM? You need to drink some coffee and re-read both the post and my response.

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Route 66 September 18, 2014 at 8:13 pm

Really??, well maybe the founding editor is OK with the private sector up until the point in which it cozies up with a corrupt government sector in order to win preferences… so to sum up, maybe he is OK with “plots, planning, and scheming”, just not the corrupt plots, illicit planning, and back office scheming that you seem to think is both normal and acceptable.

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idcydm September 18, 2014 at 8:27 pm

LOL, “corrupt”, “illicit” and “back office” seem to be your “sum up” not his.

.

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Well done September 18, 2014 at 8:29 pm

This is FITS doing the good work. Well done. Nothing more.

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Philip Branton September 19, 2014 at 10:42 am

Dear Brian Hicks…………

Dare to wonder who is going to be a tenant in the POst and COurier SQUARE development right there on “spring” …!?

Ya know, the Piggly Wiggly crew cashed out and you got …what..?

…..ya know Mr. FOlks is serving himself with this article ……..so, how are yo going to get your cheeze…?

I bold face dare you to go into your editor’s office and ask if he has a CLUE about new tenants……developers do have a 30 year “plan”…do they not..?

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Philip Branton September 19, 2014 at 11:04 am

Dear US Senator Lindsey Graham……

Ya know….what are you going to do the next 54 days…??

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/09/19/rachel-maddow-congress-_n_5848868.html

R….U….going to be interviewed by Wil Folks …once…?

R…U….going to be questioned in open style at SPAWAR Atlantic ….once..?

ya know……Senator……..do you want to WIN a war or not…?

SMIRKS is waiting to see what your going to do for the next 54 days……

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just 4 your info September 20, 2014 at 8:15 am

FYI: No State Funds would be involved; This would NOT be supported by state funds.
I would be willing to wager that EW has the financial backing to do just what he has said would be done should Infilaw have the good sense to realize that they are not wanted or needed at CSOL. It would make perfect sense to restore the school to the principles on which it was founded as he has stated would be done. CSOL was making great progress before the owners decided to let their love of money become their first priority. EW admitted that he realizes what a mistake it was to allow Infilaw the opportunity to purchase the school and he is proving that he is willing to correct this. If the other two care about the students, staff, faculty and anything beyond their wallets they have to see what has happened since Infilaw entered the scene. I do not believe that anyone at CSOL could truthfully say anything other than things have gotten much worse since Infilaw entered the campus.

Reply

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