Risk Management

Risk Management Helpline

The Risk Management Helpline is a resource for South Carolina Bar members only. All ethics assistance or guidance is non-binding and intended only to be informational. Before contacting the Helpline, please read the following Rules:

1. The Risk Management Helpline is a service for lawyers admitted to practice in South Carolina with questions about the South Carolina Rules of Professional Conduct.
2. Discussion takes place in a brief and informal phone conversation about the Bar member’s own prospective conduct. We do not discuss questions about the member’s past conduct or the conduct of other lawyers. 
3. Bar members should research the ethics rules and opinions before contacting us. We can offer assistance in locating resources and provide a sounding board but Bar members must make their own conclusions.
4. We do not discuss questions that are the subject of a pending legal proceeding or are before a grievance committee.
5. We do not provide assistance to Bar members requesting assistance through an intermediary (such as a nonlawyer employee).
6. We do not provide legal advice or answer questions of law. The Helpline is not a substitute for engaging private legal ethics counsel.
7. Assistance or guidance provided may not be used as evidence in court, administrative proceedings, or disciplinary proceedings for any purpose including supporting a defense.
8. We do not answer questions about the unauthorized practice of law (UPL).
9. Assistance is based solely on the facts provided by the Bar member. A material variation in the facts could change or void the guidance given.
10.   Due to the informal nature of calls, guidance is of a general nature. It is the Bar member’s responsibility to conduct independent research. We are not responsible for providing comprehensive research.

By contacting the Helpline, you acknowledge and consent to these Rules. 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. If your matter is urgent, you may wish to retain professional ethics counsel.

South Carolina members seeking a written Ethics Advisory Opinion from the Ethics Advisory Committee may submit a written request. Please review the guidelines for requesting an Ethics Advisory Opinion here. As with Helpline 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.