The gamecock. (Columbia, S.C.) 1908-2006, March 21, 1979, Image 1
iina Library
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Volume LXIX, No. 1S4 University of South Caroline. Columbia. S.C. March 21, 1979
State ser
By R. L. Chesloy
Gamecock Staff Writer
COPYRIGHT 1979 THE GAMECOCK
The law firms of five S.C. state
senators and one state representative
are being paid retainer fees
for legal services by South Carolina
Electric and Gas Co., SCE&G,
according to George Fischer,
SCE&G legal counsel and vice
i *
president.
'We don't select them I
Senate and we don't relea
get out.'
The legislators are: Sen.
Rembert Dennis, D-Berkeley;
L. Marion Gressette, D-Calhoun;
Sen. Robert Lake, D-Newberry;
n ? -1 ^ ?
sen. jonn u. l*ong, u-union; Sen.
John Martin, D-Winnsboro
(District 7) and Rep. Solomon
Blatt, D-District 91.
Marion Brown, press secretary
for Gov. Richard W. Riley, said
there is an appearance of a conflict
of interest when legislators are
r 1? _ -1:1:1- 1
pain icuiiiici iccs uy a uiimy ana
then help select commissioners of
the Public Service Commission,
PSC.
FISCHER SAID the legislators
are paid a retainer fee on the basis
of their legal expertise in different
areas of law, and not because they
1 **
r
Hk I
Vacation c
inside.
lators on
are members of the state senate.
"The object of a retainer fee is to y
provide for a particular attorney to tl
be on call to provide services for t<
you and also to prevent that at- is
torney from representing someone & y
else on the opposite side," Fischer r
said. 1<
Fischer said some of the h
legislators have been representing
SCE&G for years, before and after o
y
the minute they get in the [j
ase them the minute they
0
they were in the S.C. Legislature, s
4'We don't select them the minute 1<
they get in the senate, and we don't r
release them the minute they get h
out of the senate,'' Fischer said. a
SCE&G paid the firm of Blatt and
Fales more than $12,000 in 1978, the
firm of Dennis and Dennis more
than $15,000 and the firm of
Gressette and Gressette more than
$14,000, according to Fischer.
In comparison, SCE&G paid a q
Columbia law firm about $250,000 ?.
and the firm in New York City was
paid about $139,000, Fischer said. P
Fischer said the SCE&G policy is v
to hire the best attorney available ir
in a given area to represent the n
company. si
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fl This beach
ftJi I d be deseriecf 1
break. Today'
beaches whic
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fZCFXrC
"WHEN WE select an attorney,
/e do it on the basis of who we
hink the best person in that area is
o represent us," Fischer said. "It
5 the same as you would do if you
/ere looking for an attorney to
epresent yourself, or if you were
lokine for a dnrtnr tn tvpat vnn "
D ? ? J
eadded.
"In the small counties, you will
ften find that the leading attorney,
/ho you would normally go to to
andle your legal work, is also in
tie legislature," Fischer said.
That's just the way small counties
perate."
"The people in that county have
een fit to elect him to the
sgislature for probably the same
eason that you would want to hire
im as an attorney," Fischer
dded.
'An honest man is an I
scoundrel are just that, a
no matter how many laws
Fischer said attorneys for
CE&G are involved in numerous
inds of legal work including
roperty transfer, right-of-way
nits and any type of accident inolving
the company. Also, in some
istances, attorneys serve a public
Nations function, especially in
mailer counties, explaining to
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r i v r '2- * |SM ^3? i* ?<xS5^ ;
>\ % jt?|p
$/ *?- * ; - &$&? jN^i - *'1^ -*> *^ - ' . rv^feiA
\Alrn. n '< r/xMniM ' '
vwxjii i itzuiam vnifJiy tor IOfl(J,
next week as students head
s Gamecock includes a guidt
h provided information for the
tyoursuntan oil, '
B payroll
SCE&G customers the company's
policy decisions which affect them,
according to Fischer.
mv * * - -
i\one 01 tne legislators admitted
to a conflict of interest.
"There is not the slightest conflict
of interest," Dennis said. "A
retainer fee is a professional fee
that companies pay a lawyer to be
available to the company in case
they need a lawyer."
DENNIS SAID with the $100
million Santee Cooper
hydroelectric facility in Berkeley
(Jo., it is only natural for a local law
firm to represent SCE&G in that
county.
Long said there is no more a
conflict of interest involved in a
legislator representing SCE&G
than in a legislator selecting circuit
honest man. A thief and a
nd they are going to steal
you pass.'
court judges or a legislator who is a
farmer working on farm
legislation.
There is.no conflict of interest,"
Blatt said. "An honest man is an
honest man. A thief and a scoundrel
are just that, and they are
going to steal no matter how many
laws you pass," he said.
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but the USC campus will
' to the beach for spring
? to several of the Florida
section.