Created in 1884, the South Carolina State Bar, located in Columbia (the state capital) has over 13,000 members. The members' areas of expertise or practice in law vary by attorney and may include tax, criminal, elder, corporate and bankruptcy law.

       The State Bar also has a wide variety of programs and services available for members and the community. Some of the programs include Ask a Lawyer, the Pro Bono Program, a referral service, legal advice and a searchable membership directory.

Ask a Lawyer Program

       The Ask a Lawyer program is offered by the South Carolina State Bar Foundation and is televised in different locations within the state at different times. The program is also available on the Internet in a chat room format. The residents of South Carolina are invited to call in and ask questions pertaining to the law via a phone number or in the chat room. Visit Ask a Lawyer for dates of televised times in your community.

Bankruptcy Questions

       The South Carolina Bankruptcy Court has a similar Ask a Lawyer program in regards to bankruptcy. Attorneys that practice bankruptcy law are available at certain times for questions concerning bankruptcy matters. Visit South Carolina Bankruptcy Court for more information.

Referral Service and Legal Advice

       The State Bar offers referrals of qualified attorneys by location and area of practice. A helpful phone number for finding a referral is 800-868-2284. For helpful information in regards to obtaining legal assistance call 888-346-5592.

Member Directory

       If you are interested in obtaining information about a member (attorney) of the South Carolina State Bar, including if the member has been involved in any disciplinary actions, visit the member directory. In this section you can search and find an attorney by first or last name, by community, county or those searching an out-of-state member.

Dispute of Attorney Fees

       The State Board has created, under the guidelines of the South Carolina State Supreme Court, Rule 416. This is set up to mediate disputes between attorney and client in regards to billing fees, disbursement disputes and costs of litigation. Contact Claudia Kea by phone at (803) 799-6653 / ext. 163 or by email at ckea@scbar.org for more information.

General Contact Information

       The South Carolina State Bar contact information is the following; South Carolina State Bar, 950 Taylor Street, Columbia, South Carolina 29201 / Telephone: 803.799.6653 / Fax: 803.799.4118 / Email: scbar-info@scbar.org