About Frank
Frank Holleman is an attorney whose career bridges law, public service and environmental advocacy. He earned a B.A. in political science from Furman University in 1972 and a J.D. from Harvard Law School in 1979. Those academic years set the stage for a professional life spent in both government and private practice.
After law school he entered private practice. Records show he joined Wyche Burgess Freeman & Parham in 1982 and maintained membership there as part of his early career. That time in a general litigation and corporate firm gave him experience in transactional work and courtroom practice at the state level.
Holleman moved into public service at the national level in 1999 when he served as U.S. Deputy Secretary of Education at the U.S. Department of Education. In that role he worked on federal education policy and management of departmental operations. The post was a notable departure from his private-practice years and brought him into the heart of federal policymaking.
In 2011 he joined the Southern Environmental Law Center as a senior lawyer. At the center he has engaged in litigation and advocacy on environmental matters across the Southeast. His work there has involved state regulatory proceedings, litigation over natural-resource protections, and efforts to influence public policy on energy and conservation issues. The shift to environmental law marked a long-term change in his practice priorities.
Holleman is a member in good standing of the South Carolina State Bar and practices under South Carolina jurisdiction. He has balanced roles in both nonprofit advocacy and traditional law practice over the years. Colleagues describe him as steady and pragmatic in the courtroom and in negotiations.
He has alternated between public posts, private firm practice and nonprofit work. That mix has given him familiarity with administrative law, state and federal litigation, and policy development in education and environmental fields.
Now based at the Southern Environmental Law Center, he continues to work on environmental litigation and public-interest matters in South Carolina and the surrounding region. His current practice focuses on environmental and public-interest law at the Southern Environmental Law Center.
