USC Joseph F. Rice School of Law recognizes Elrod Pope senior counsel for career of service and professional distinction
ROCK HILL — Thomas E. “Tommy” Pope, a senior counsel at Elrod Pope Accident and Injury Attorneys in Rock Hill and a longtime member of the South Carolina House of Representatives, received one of the state’s most prestigious legal honors Thursday night when the University of South Carolina Joseph F. Rice School of Law recognized him as a Platinum Recipient of the Compleat Lawyer Award.
The Compleat Lawyer Awards were established in 1992 by the USC Joseph F. Rice School of Law Alumni Council to recognize alumni for outstanding civic and professional accomplishments. Recipients are nominated by members of the bar or the public and chosen by a committee that includes the chief justice of the South Carolina Supreme Court, the chief judge of the South Carolina Court of Appeals, the president of the South Carolina Bar, the law school’s dean, and the presidents of the Alumni Council and Young Alumni Council, making the award one of the most prestigious an alumnus can receive.
The award is presented in three tiers based on years of practice, with Platinum going to attorneys who have been in practice 31 years or more. Platinum recipients are individuals who have made significant contributions to the legal profession and exemplify the highest standard of professional competence, ethics and integrity.
Pope, a 1987 graduate of the USC School of Law, has built one of the most varied and distinguished careers in York County legal history. The son of a local sheriff and schoolteacher, Pope grew up in Lesslie and attended Rock Hill High School before earning a bachelor’s degree in business management from the University of South Carolina in 1984.
From 1993 to 2006, Pope served as the elected solicitor for the 16th Circuit, representing Union and York Counties. He is perhaps most widely recognized for his 1995 prosecution of Susan Smith in Union County, the case that made national headlines when Smith was convicted of drowning her two children.
Pope retired as solicitor in 2006 and eventually joined Luke Elrod to form Elrod Pope Accident and Injury Attorneys, where he has focused on representing people injured or killed by the negligence of others. Since 2010, he has also served as an elected member of the South Carolina House of Representatives for District 47, and his peers elected him Speaker Pro Tempore of the House.
Thursday’s Platinum award marks a second time Pope has been recognized through the Compleat Lawyer program. In 1999, he received the Silver Compleat Lawyer Award, which recognized his competence, integrity, ethics and superior performance in the profession. He also holds the Order of the Palmetto, South Carolina’s highest civilian honor, which he received in 2008.
Elrod Pope celebrated the recognition in a statement issued by the firm, calling Pope’s receipt of the honor “well-deserved” and noting that his commitment to justice and community leadership sets the standard for excellence within the firm.
Pope and his wife, Kim, reside in York. They have four children and four grandchildren.
Sign up for our Sunday Spectator. Delivered to your inbox every Sunday, with all the news from the week.
