Limited Certificate of Admission for Retired and Inactive Attorney Pro Bono Participation Program under Rule 415, SCACR
The limited certificate issued under this Rule authorizes the retired or inactive attorney to provide legal services solely to clients approved to receive services from Legal Services, the Program or the Grantee, or to provide other services through the Program such as Ask-A-Lawyer or educational clinics.
Electronic Communications
All information and announcements are posted on the Office of Bar Admissions' webpage at scbaradmissions.sccourts.org. Applicants are expected to regularly visit this webpage to review the announcements and information posted there. Applicants are also required to maintain a current email address and mailing address on their personal bar application account and to regularly read all mail from the Office of Bar Admissions, whether sent electronically or by the postal service. Applicants must ensure that emails from the Office of Bar Admissions are not filtered as spam and should add noreply@scbaradmissions.sccourts.org to their email address book.
Application for a Limited Certificate of Admission for the Retired and Inactive Attorney Pro Bono Participation Program
An attorney desiring a limited certificate of admission to practice law shall file an application with the South Carolina Supreme Court Office of Bar Admissions accompanied by a certification by Legal Services, a certificate of good standing from each jurisdiction in which the attorney has been admitted to practice law, and a sworn statement by the applicant as required by Rule 415(b)(3), SCACR.
General Requirements for a Limited Certificate of Admission for the Retired and Inactive Attorney Pro Bono Participation Program
A limited certificate of admission to practice law in South Carolina will not be granted unless the applicant meets the following requirements.
- Is or was admitted to practice law in another state or territory of the United States or the District of Columbia and is retired from the active practice of law or is on inactive status;
- Has been a member in good standing in each jurisdiction in which the retired or inactive attorney is or was admitted to practice law;
- Has not been disciplined for professional misconduct in any jurisdiction within the past fifteen years and is not the subject of any pending disciplinary proceeding;
- Is associated with an approved legal services organization (Legal Services) which receives, or is eligible to receive, funds from the Legal Services Corporation; is working on a case or project through the South Carolina Bar Pro Bono Program (the Program); or is working with a program funded in whole or in part by a grant from the South Carolina Bar Foundation, Inc. (the Grantee), using interest and dividends remitted under the procedure established in Rule 412, SCACR;
- Performs all activities authorized by this Rule under the supervision of an attorney who is a regular member of the South Carolina Bar employed by, or participating as a volunteer for, Legal Services, the Program or the Grantee and who assumes professional responsibility for the conduct of the matter, litigation, or administrative proceeding in which the retired or inactive attorney participates; and
- Agrees to abide by the South Carolina Rules of Professional Conduct and all other rules governing the practice of law in this State and to submit to the jurisdiction of the Supreme Court for disciplinary purposes.
