New Members

Annual license fees are due on January 1. Statements are mailed in mid-November. In accordance with Bar Bylaws members are responsible for paying the proper fee by January 1 whether or not they receive a statement.  

People admitted after June 30 are exempt from license fees for the remainder of the calendar year and will be billed for the coming year along with the full membership in November.  

If you are admitted from January 1 through June 30, you must pay one half of the license fee amount for the year of admission.  

Any member who has not paid license fees by January 1 will be administratively suspended from the practice of law by the South Carolina Supreme Court and required to surrender their certificate. 

All member contact information is managed by the South Carolina Su­preme Court’s Attorney Information System (AIS). On October 17, 2011, the Court issued an order requiring all Bar members to keep their informa­tion current. The information in the Court’s system is pushed over to the Bar and is considered the official contact information for members.    

In order to pay your license fee, your information must be verified in AIS after the Court resets the AIS verification field on October 15 each year. Members are required to verify their information annually even if no changes have occurred before payments can be processed.  

• To makes changes to your contact information, visit https://ais.sccourts.org.  

• Your username is your SC Bar number. If you cannot remember your password, you can use the “forgot password” link.  

• If you have difficulties logging in, contact the South Carolina Judicial De­partment Call Center at 1-855-235-2500. 

Note: The SC Bar does not have access to the AIS system and cannot assist you with login.    

Before the end of that first reporting year, you must complete an Essentials Series course administered by the South Carolina Bar [unless you meet one of the exemptions found in SCACR Rule 408(a)(3)(a)-(D), b]. For the 2020-21 year only, that requirement can be met by taking an online course.

The Supreme Court of South Carolina Commission on Continuing Legal Education & Specialization, which accredits all CLE programming in our state, administers and regulates the Mandatory Continuing Legal Educa­tion program. The SC Bar produces and sponsors courses, programs and publications for attorneys and judges, but is not the regulatory body.  
 
The compliance deadline for attorneys and judges to report their yearly MCLE credits is on or before March 1. The CLE reporting year runs from March 1 until the last day of February. For more information, visit the Commission’s page or call (803) 799-5578

Simply put, Lawyers Helping Lawyers is here to help you walk through the tough stages of life. The experienced LHL staff assists lawyers, judges and law students who may be experiencing challenges with substance use disorders, mental health illnesses and/or stress-related issues that affect their professional and personal lives. 

Counselor visit bills can quickly add up but these appointments can be instrumental in recovery. The Lawyers Helping Lawyers program offers all members up to five free counseling sessions per year through CorpCare. These services are strictly confidential and callers remain anonymous. Call 1-(855)-321-4384 at any time to get referred to a counselor in your area or visit the LHL webpage for more information on counseling sessions and other LHL services.

Make the most of your membership by staying up to date on all the latest legal news you need to know. Like and follow the SC Bar on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn; and the Young Lawyers Division on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram for all things YLD. The weekly eBlast newsletter, distributed to Bar subscribers on Thursdays, includes advance sheet summaries, hiring announcements, upcoming CLEs and member features.

In addition to digital media, SC Lawyer, the Bar’s printed magazine, includes timely legal articles as well as updates on news and events and trusted insight from columns like Ethics Watch, The Scrivener, Beyond the Bar and Bar Bytes. SC Lawyer is published six times a year and printed copies are mailed to all Bar members. A digital version is available online.

There are few better ways to get involved with the legal profession as a starry-eyed and bushy-tailed new lawyer than with the Young Lawyers Division. The YLD coordinates various programs across the state designed to serve the public, advance the legal profession, or both. The YLD provides a great opportunity for young lawyers to network with other young lawyers while fulfilling public service goals and improving the image of the profession. Read more and join the Young Lawyers Division.

Creating and maintaining meaningful professional connections is important at all stages of your career, but perhaps most crucial when you’re just getting your feet wet. Taking part in a section or committee allows you to meet other attorneys who practice in specific areas and stay connected via newsletters, listservs and CLE events. With 18 sections and over 30 committees to choose from, there is a place for you at the Bar where you can serve the profession, grow your professional network and make friends along the way. Committees and sections are open to new members right away.

Having the opportunity to shape young minds and to create a strong pipeline for the future of the profession leads many SC Bar members to volunteer with the Law Related Education Division. With multiple programs and in-depth initiatives, there are many volunteer opportunities with LRE. Not only do Middle and High School Mock Trial teams need attorney coaches, but each competition needs attorney volunteers to serve as presiding and scoring judges. Find out more about LRE volunteer opportunities.