Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
For technical assistance with our website via email or to provide feedback regarding the website, click here.
The Committee on Character & Fitness (Committee) consists of twenty-four members of the South Carolina Bar who are appointed by the Supreme Court for five-year terms. The Committee is tasked with the duty and responsibility to administer screenings to determine whether an applicant possesses the moral character and fitness required to practice law in South Carolina. In conducting investigations, a panel of Committee members may take and hear testimony, issue subpoenas for the attendance of witnesses, and require the applicant to appear for a hearing or for a personal interview.
Upon written notice, an attorney who is not admitted to practice law in South Carolina and who is admitted and authorized to practice law in the highest court of another state or the District of Columbia may be admitted pro hac vice in any action or proceeding before a tribunal of this state. A person admitted pro hac vice must be associated with an attorney of record who is a regular member of the South Carolina Bar in good standing.
Under Rule 402(d)(6) of the South Carolina Appellate Court Rules, an applicant needing special accommodations for the administration of the bar exam due to a disability must submit a written request form to the Board of Law Examiners.
All requests must be made using the "Special Accommodations Forms," that are maintained by the Office of Bar Admissions. Any additional documentation to be considered by the Board must be submitted with the original forms. An examinee requesting special accommodations will not be allowed to supplement his or her original request with additional medical information unless the examinee experiences a significant change in medical condition after submitting the original request. All completed request forms must be submitted by November 1st for the February UBE and April 1st for the July UBE. Extensions of these deadlines will only be permitted upon leave of the Supreme Court.
First, review Rule 402 of the South Carolina Appellate Court Rules (SCACR). Once you have reviewed Rule 402, go to Office of Bar Admissions and click on the "Register" button in the top right-hand corner of the Bar Admissions' webpage.
For applicants applying after April 1st, 2025: Log in to your Bar Admissions account. Click on "Current Application". In the middle of the page click on the green "Amend Application" button. On the left side of the page you will select the appropriate section and make your changes. After all updates have been completed click the green "Submit Amendment" button in the middle of the page.
For applicants who applied before April 1st, 2025: To make changes to your residential history, driver's license information, telephone numbers, or employment, you must log in to your Bar Admissions account and click on Part A of your application. To change your permanent address, click on "My Account" to change the address where all correspondence will be sent. For any other changes, you must submit an amendment form to the Office of Bar Admissions.
For applicants applying after April 1st, 2025: Log in to your Bar Admissions account. Click the green "Amend Application" button in the middle of the page. Under the Forms & Progress section, click the blue "Amend" button beside "Character and Fitness".
On the left side of the page, click "Name on Certificate".
After the changes have been made, click "Save & Close" which will return you to the home page of your account. Click the green "Submit Amendment" button in the middle of the page.
The amendment has not been submitted until you see the "Application Status" in the middle of the page as "Amendment Submitted".
Changes made to your certificate name within 10 days of the swearing-in ceremony will not be recognized. Also, once you are sworn in, changes cannot be made to your certificate name.
For applicants who applied prior to April 1st, 2025: Log in to your Bar Admissions account and click on Part A of your application. Update your certificate name.
Please visit the "NCBE Exams" section of https://ncbex.org for more information.
Please visit the "NCBE Exams" section of https://ncbex.org for more information.
A certified copy is a copy of a document held by an official office or agency. When the copy is issued, the office or agency's designated official will stamp or sign the document certifying that the document is a true and correct copy of the record they have on file.
Yes. Please view "Required Documentation for the Uniform Bar Examination" for a list of the certified documents required in your application. Failure to include the required certified documents could result in the rejection of your application.
Results will be released in late April and late October. In addition to the letter that will be posted in your Bar Admissions account, results will also be posted on the Supreme Court's website (www.sccourts.org). Once the exact release date is determined, that information will be posted on the Supreme Court's website and the Bar Admission's page.
If you have applied after April 1st, 2025: After the Office of Bar Admissions has accepted your application, you will receive a message in your Bar Admissions account informing you of your application status.
If you applied before April 1st, 2025: After the Office of Bar Admissions has processed your application, you will receive a letter informing you of your application status. Exam details will be provided approximately two weeks before the exam. Your patience is appreciated.
If you are applying after April 1st, 2025: All character affidavits must be uploaded with the application. They must be properly signed and notarized. Digital signatures and "s/" signatures will not be accepted.
If you are applied before April 1st, 2025: All character affidavits submitted must be original, meaning the form that the affiant placed their actual “wet” signature on must be physically notarized by the notary, and that same form must be submitted with your application. Digital signatures and "s/" signatures will not be accepted.
South Carolina’s required score on the UBE is 266.
You may view and print your bar application yourself by logging in to the Application Portal. On the User Home page, scroll to the Application & Documents section. To print your entire application, you must click the UBE Transfer Application first and then the Character and Fitness section and print them both.
For all other applicants:
You must submit your request in writing, along with a check or money order for $25 made payable to the Clerk of the Supreme Court of South Carolina. The fee includes copy costs, a search fee, and the cost of postage. All requests for copies must specify the month and year of the bar exam(s) and the address to which you would like for the copies to be mailed.
You may view and print your bar application yourself by logging in to the Application Portal. On the User Home page, scroll to the Application & Documents section. To print your entire application, you must click the UBE Transfer Application first and then the Character and Fitness section and print them both.
For all other applicants:
You may not pick up a copy of your bar application. Please include your preferred mailing address in your request letter.
If you applied prior to April 1st, 2025:
Please send official documents to the following addresses:
For USPS deliveries:
Supreme Court of South Carolina
Office of Bar Admissions
P.O. Box 11330
Columbia, SC 29211
For overnight deliveries:
Supreme Court of South Carolina
Office of Bar Admissions
1231 Gervais Street
Columbia, SC 29201
If you are applying after April 1st, 2025: You must upload your official documents in the Application Portal.
To request a certificate of good standing with a raised seal, you must submit a written request to the Office of Bar Admissions via mail or hand-delivery with the requisite filing fee of $25. All checks must be made payable to the Clerk of the Supreme Court of South Carolina. If you are requesting multiple copies of your certificate of good standing, you must include an additional fee of $5 for each additional copy. Your request must include your name, your South Carolina Bar number, and the address to which the certificate should be mailed.
As an alternative to a certificate with a raised seal, Regular Members of the bar in good standing who have never received an administrative or a disciplinary sanction can now generate electronic certificates of good standing at no cost by using the features available in the Attorney Information System (AIS). To generate an electronic certificate, members must log in to AIS, go to the "Certifications" page, and click the link under the "Certificate of Good Standing" section. All members who have previously received a sanction, members other than Regular Members (e.g., Limited Members, Judicial Members, and Inactive Members), and members who require an original certificate of good standing with a raised seal must request their certificates by following the procedures above as set forth in Rule 423 of the South Carolina Appellate Court Rules. Click here to be redirected to AIS to generate a certificate of good standing.
The Office of Bar Admissions does not generate disciplinary history letters. Please contact the Commission on Lawyer Conduct at (803) 734-2037 for further guidance.
The Office of Bar Admissions will not email your certificate of good standing. Please include your mailing address in submitting your request.
No. Absent extraordinary circumstances, all certificates of good standing will be delivered via US Mail unless a self-addressed mailing envelope is included with your request.
Yes, the Committee conducts an independent investigation. Character and Fitness approval in another jurisdiction does not guarantee approval in South Carolina.
Common reasons include honor code violations, failure to disclose information on a law school application or bar application, criminal charges and/or violations, terminations from employment, or any financial delinquencies.
Notification of a hearing will appear in your Application Portal.
Personal interviews are arranged by Committee members. Interviews may be virtual or in-person as directed by the Committee. Hearings before the Committee are always held in person.
You may not be informed of the specific reason the Committee has scheduled an interview or hearing. Be prepared to discuss all matters disclosed in your application.
The hearings are conducted in the courtroom of the Supreme Court Building.
Yes. If you are represented by counsel, please notify the Office of Bar Admissions in writing prior to the date of your hearing.
There is a possibility that your admission will be delayed.
The Supreme Court will make the final decision as to whether an applicant is permitted to sit for the bar exam under Rule 402(g).
Pursuant to Rule 402(g)(3), SCACR, you will be permitted to file a new application for admission along with the filing fee two years from the date of the denial by the Committee on Character and Fitness.
Any communication will be posted on your Application Portal.
No. Your motion to appear pro hac vice should be filed with the court or tribunal hearing the matter after your application is approved.
No. All signatures used on the application must be handwritten.
No. We require only one certificate of standing, issued by the jurisdiction in which you primarily practice. The certificate must be issued within 90 days of its submission to the Office of Bar Admissions.
The date on Certificate of Service is the actual date on which the form was signed and submitted.
No. South Carolina state courts lack jurisdiction to consider motions to appear pro hac vice in federal courts.
You may be admitted pro hac vice up to six times in a calendar year. However, you must file a separate application for each case number to which you seek admission.
There are two ways you can obtain the forms. When you apply to take the UBE you will be asked if you will be requesting special accommodations. When answered yes, the forms will download with the application. You may also access the forms from the Bar Admissions website under Special Accommodations.
The completed forms should be uploaded into your Application Portal.
There are no additional fees for taking the exam with special accommodations.
Accommodation requests must be uploaded by November 1 for the February exam and April 1 for the July exam.
You may submit a petition to the Supreme Court with the required $50 filing fee to review the Board of Law Examiners decision.
USPS deliveries:
Supreme Court of South Carolina
Office of Bar Admissions
P.O. Box 11330
Columbia, SC 29211
For overnight deliveries:
Supreme Court of South Carolina
Office of Bar Admissions
1231 Gervais Street
Columbia, SC 29201
The Clerk of the Supreme Court of South Carolina.
Add the dates you watched the trials to the Certificate form and add the words “Via WebEx” to the form. We will verify on the WebEx Reports that you were present during the entirety of the video.
Please refer to your personal calendar and/or previous emails. Narrow down, to the greatest extent possible, the date you may have watched the trials. Then contact the Office of Bar Admissions for further assistance. When calling, please indicate you watched trials via "Cisco WebEx to satisfy Rule 403."
See Rule 403(e), SCACR. Submit your affidavit and filing fee to the Office of Bar Admissions, along with your contact information and South Carolina Bar Number.
No. Please refer to the "Fee Schedules" tab.
See Rule 403(b)(4) of the SCACR. As set forth in the Rule, you must observe your "day in court" in the Court of Common Pleas, the Court of General Sessions, the Family Court, or a state or federal Administrative Law Court. It must be from opening to closing and at least four hours.
No, you must attend a jury trial on a day different from your “days in court.” Additionally, you must use two different “days in court” to satisfy your requirements.