Ethics Hotline

Ethics Hotline

The Ethics Hotline is a resource for South Carolina Bar members only. All ethics advice is non-binding and intended only to be informational. Before contacting the Ethics Hotline, please read the following: 

1. The Hotline only provides guidance to lawyers admitted to practice in South Carolina about the South Carolina Rules of Professional Conduct, while leaving final decisions up to the Bar member. The ethics guidance given is based solely on the facts provided by the member. A material variation in the facts could change or void the guidance given.
2. The Hotline only provides guidance concerning the lawyer's own prospective conduct. We do not answer questions about past conduct or the conduct of other lawyers.
3. The Hotline does not provide legal advice or answer questions of law. The Hotline is not a substitute for engaging legal ethics counsel.
4. The Hotline does not answer questions about the unauthorized practice of law (UPL).
5. The Hotline provides general guidance. Due to the limited information we can obtain during a brief and informal telephone conversation, we cannot provide a definitive  answer to Hotline questions.
6. The Hotline does not answer questions that are the subject of a pending legal proceeding or are before a grievance committee.
7. The Ethics Hotline does not respond to complaints or inquiries regarding unethical conduct of other lawyers.

If you agree to the above, you may email a request with your name, bar number, email address, phone number, and a brief statement of facts and the nature of your ethics inquiry. In most cases, a staff member will respond by phone or email within one to two business days, excluding holidays. If your matter is urgent, you may wish to retain professional ethics counsel.

If, after speaking with someone on the Hotline, a South Carolina lawyer wishes to obtain a written Ethics Advisory Opinion from the Ethics Advisory Committee, he or she may submit a written request. Please review the guidelines for requesting an Ethics Advisory Opinion here. As with Hotline questions, the Committee's Advisory Opinions are limited to interpreting the South Carolina Rules of Professional Conduct. Please be aware that the Committee cannot provide a concrete timeline for responding to written requests. If your matter is urgent, you may wish to retain professional ethics counsel.