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south carolina
bar admission administrative agency:
office of bar admissions
supreme court of south carolina
p.o. box 11330
columbia, sc 29211
tel: 803/734-1080
fax: (803) 734-0394
website:
http://www.judicial.state.sc.us/bar/
website: http://www.scbar.org/
bar admission options:
without bar examination
1. law professors: an applicant who meets the other state bar
requirements listed below and is serving as the dean or as a tenured professor
of the university of south carolina school of law may be admitted to practice
without examination if the applicant has been:
a) admitted in another state or the district of columbia for at least five
years;
b) a full-time assistant professor of law or higher faculty member for the
previous three or more complete academic years; and
c) is recommended for admission by the dean, or in the case of the dean, by the
president of the university.
2. limited certificate to practice law: an applicant who meets the
other state bar requirements listed below, is admitted in another state or the
district of columbia, and is a member in good standing in each jurisdiction
where admitted, may be issued a limited certificate to practice law for the
period during which the applicant:
a) is employed full-time by an aba-accredited law school in south carolina and
is responsible for supervising or teaching in the law school clinical law
program;
b) provides legal services solely in connection with the supervision of or
instruction in the law school's clinical law program; and
c) receives no compensation or remuneration for legal services performed.
3. limited certificate of admission: an applicant who meets the other
state bar requirements listed below, is admitted in another state or the
district of columbia, and is a member in good standing in each jurisdiction
where admitted, may be issued a limited certificate of admission if the
applicant:
a) is employed in the legal department or under the supervision of the legal
department of a corporation, company, partnership, or association (business
employer) which does not provide legal services in south carolina to the public
or its employees. if not a south carolina corporation, company, partnership or
association, the business employer must be qualified or otherwise lawfully
engaged in business in south carolina;
b) performs most of his/her duties for the business employer in south carolina
and has his/her principal office in south carolina; and
c) provides legal services in south carolina solely for the business employer or
the parent or subsidiary of such employer.
application/admission fees:
$100.00. law professor applicants must also pay $250.00 for an ncbe character
and fitness report.
fees are waived for applicants admitted under a limited certificate to practice
law as a clinical law professor.
with bar examination
examination required for all other applicants.
examination components:
1. academic: mbe scaled score of 125 (accepted from other jurisdictions
for concurrent examinations only), and six state essays.
2. ethics: mpre scaled score of 77 is transferable from any jurisdiction.
examination dates:
february (filing period: august 1 until october 31 of the preceding year)
july (filing period: january 1 until march 31).
application/admission fees:
$200.00 from august 1 to september 15 for the february examination and january 1
to february 15 for the july examination.
$400.00 from september 16 to october 1 for the february examination and february
16 to march 1 for the july examination.
$750.00 for applications filed during the remainder of the application periods.
applicants who have been admitted to practice in another state or the district of columbia for more than one year must pay an additional $250.00 for the ncbe character and fitness report.
other state bar requirements:
1. minimum age: 21
2. jd or llb degree from a law school approved by the aba council of legal education at the time the degree was conferred.
3. character check by the south carolina committee on character and fitness.
4. successfully completed the "bridge the gap program" sponsored by the south carolina bar.
5. required annual fees: $170.00 (0-3 years after admission); $240.00 (3 years or more after admission).
regulation of in-house counsel:
south carolina bar admission rules cover in-house counsel (see limited certificate of admission, above).
bar association status:
[x] mandatory (see “required annual fees,” above.)
[ ] voluntary
specialty certification:
attorneys may be certified by the south carolina commission on cle or by approved organizations, including those accredited by the aba. only attorneys so certified may advertise using such terms as "certified," "specialist," "expert", or "authority."
areas of specialization include:
bankruptcy/debtor-creditor
civil trial advocacy
criminal trial advocacy
employment and labor law
estate planning and probate
family law trial advocacy
professional liability (accounting; legal; medical)
tax law
