Access to Justice Commission

The S.C. Supreme Court established the Access to Justice Commission in January 2007 in an effort expand access to civil legal representation for people of low income or modest means in South Carolina. South Carolina is the 27th state to establish an Access to Justice Commission.
 
The Commission is holding a series of eight public hearings to discuss access to justice barriers in South Carolina. Information gathered from the hearings will be used to conduct a needs assessment regarding civil legal representation for people of low income or modest means in South Carolina. Seven hearings will be held during the spring in county courthouses throughout the state, and the final hearing will be held with all justices present at the S.C. Supreme Court in the fall.
 
The hearing panel will consist of commissioners, Congressional representatives, local legislators, local judges and city and county representatives. The speakers will address a number of issues including language barriers, attorney fees, court costs, lack of transportation to courthouses, illiteracy, lack of notice, lack of disability accessibility, lack of sign language interpreters for the deaf, cognitive impairments, income just above poverty guidelines yet still prohibitive of obtaining legal services, and others.        
 
The hearing schedule is as follows:        
March 13, Charleston County Courthouse   
March 27, Lexington County Courthouse   
April 10, Colleton County Courthouse   
April 17, Anderson County Courthouse   
May 29, Lancaster County Courthouse   
June 5, Florence County Courthouse   
June 26, Spartanburg County Courthouse   
 
All hearings will be held from 4 to 6 p.m. 
 
Staff contact:
Robin Wheeler
Executive Director
S.C. Access to Justice Commission
(803) 576-3808
rwheeler@scbar.org