Bridging Broad Street: A Tribute to Charlie Goldberg

Each month, the U.S. District Court for the District of South Carolina hosts a small group of interested young lawyers for lunch in the library of the Federal Courthouse to hear from a prominent and experienced member of the Charleston Bar.  This project, which is sponsored by the Young Lawyers Division, is the brainchild of Senior United States District Judge Patrick Michael Duffy and Mr. Charles Goldberg.  The program is intended to help connect local young lawyers with judges and more senior members of the Bar.  These events provide a learning opportunity for young lawyers, as well as facilitate and encourage collaboration among the different generations of our legal community.

The idea for Bridging Broad Street comes from the old Byars drug store in Charleston.  When Judge Duffy and Mr. Goldberg were young lawyers, almost all of the lawyers in Charleston had offices on Broad Street.  At around 10:00 in the morning, those lawyers would all go down to Byars drug to catch up with each other over a cup of coffee.  According to Judge Duffy and Mr. Goldberg, young and old Charleston lawyers alike could go down to Byars with questions they had about a case, or just to have a conversation, and the senior lions of the bar would gladly take some time to get to know them and to offer advice and suggestions.  

As time passed, lawyers in Charleston have moved away from Broad Street and generally have much less interaction with each other.  Judge Duffy and Mr. Goldberg viewed this as a loss to the community and decided to create a Byars-like forum for young lawyers to learn from the current lions of the bar.  The Bridging Broad Street program lasts an hour, with the speaker generally giving remarks about their practice and their advice for young lawyers, followed by time for questions from the young lawyers.  In addition to Judge Duffy, at least one other Charleston federal judge usually attends the event.  Previous speakers have included Gedney Howe, Terry Richardson, Susan Smythe, Rutledge Young, Neil Robinson, Wilbur Johnson, Scott Moïse, Capers Barr, and the Honorable Paul Garfinkel.  The resounding success of the Charleston program inspired the creation of similar lunch programs at the federal courthouses in Greenville and Columbia, as well.

As many who know Mr. Goldberg can attest, he has been instrumental in the success of the Bridging Broad Street program.  Therefore, as Mr. Goldberg celebrates 54 years of practicing law in South Carolina, the Young Lawyers Division wanted to take this occasion to spotlight an incredible mentor. 

A lifelong Charlestonian, Mr. Goldberg was born in Charleston in 1933.  He attended the University of South Carolina, where he majored in business administration, and then enrolled in the University of South Carolina School of Law.  He has two children and six grandchildren, and has been married to Harriet Goldberg for 56 years.  After passing the bar, Mr. Goldberg spent the early years of his career in private practice, handling title searches and smaller criminal and civil matters. In 1970, Mr. Goldberg joined the Steinberg Law Firm on Broad Street in Charleston, where he has continuously practiced ever since.  In addition to his regular law practice, he also helped found several influential organizations, including the South Carolina Association for Justice and the Injured Workers’ Advocates. Mr. Goldberg’s practice focused on real estate, probate matters, heirs property issues, and personal injury cases.

Mr. Goldberg’s peers describe him as the prototypical lawyer for which every attorney should aspire to emulate.  His peers laud his character, professionalism, and good nature.  Mr. Goldberg is also (very well) known for his wit and humor. 

In the words of Judge Duffy, “Charlie Goldberg was a respected and accomplished lawyer when I graduated law school in 1968.  His stature has only grown more so over the years.  Charlie is a treasure as a human being and as a member of the Bar.  I thank him for sharing his wisdom and talents with me and many others over the years.”  Patrick Wooten, a past President of the Young Lawyers Division, had the following to say about the Bridging Broad Street program: “One of the best programs we created during my time in YLD leadership is the ‘Bridging Broad Street’ monthly lunch at the Charleston federal courthouse, and Mr. Goldberg deserves much of the credit for getting the program off the ground and recruiting top flight speakers every month.”  Thomas Limehouse, who served as Ninth Circuit YLD representative, said that he “had the pleasure of working with Mr. Goldberg and YLD leadership on the ‘Bridging Broad Street and Beyond’ monthly lunch series.  Mr. Goldberg has been the key to this program’s success from day one, easily securing all-star speakers who were honored to receive an invitation from a universally respected ‘Broad Street lawyer’ and dean of the Charleston Bar.” 

Whit McGreevy, Judge Duffy’s law clerk, echoed Patrick’s and Thomas’s praise for Mr. Goldberg: “My single favorite aspect of my involvement with the YLD has been to help facilitate the Bridging Broad Street program with Charlie Goldberg.  Mr. Goldberg extends an invitation to each speaker, and as a testament to his sterling reputation, he has never been turned down (with the exception of scheduling conflicts).  He is so gracious to devote his time to this program, and he has succeeded in cultivating a comfortable atmosphere for young lawyers to learn invaluable lessons early on in their careers.  His funny e-mails never fail to put a smile on my face, and I look forward to each lunch as another chance to get to spend time with him.”