SC Judicial Department Bar Admissions

Announcement Concerning Computer-Based Testing for
February Bar Examination

The Board of Law Examiners will allow a limited number of applicants to use laptops to complete their answers to the essay sections of the February 2010 Bar Examination. One hundred (100) applicants will be randomly selected from those applicants whose completed 'Request to Participate' forms are received no later than November 23, 2009. A 'Request to Participate' form with directions on submitting the form for consideration is attached.

Results of the July 2009 Bar Examination and Swearing-In Ceremony

The results of the July 2009 Bar Examination have been posted. A letter notifying each bar applicant of the results was mailed on Friday, October 23, 2009. Telephonic requests for information about these results will not be accepted until 9:00 a.m. on Monday, October 26, 2009.

The swearing-in ceremony for applicants who have passed the examination and have completed all other requirements for admission will be held at the Koger Center in Columbia, South Carolina, on Monday, November 16, 2009, beginning at 2:30 p.m. Applicants who are eligible to be sworn-in during this ceremony will receive detailed instructions regarding this ceremony in the letter notifying them of the results of the bar examination.

Supreme Court Amends Rule 402, SCACR

The Supreme Court has amended Rule 402, SCACR, to change the months that Bar Admission Ceremonies will be held from February, May, August and November to February, May, September and November. This amendment is effective October 1, 2009.

Court amends Rule 402(d)(1), SCACR, to address Petitions for Late Filing of Bar Applications

Lawyer Mentoring Second Pilot Program

At the request of the Chief Justice’s Commission on the Profession, the Supreme Court of South Carolina has approved a second pilot mentoring program for new lawyers. With some exceptions, this pilot program will be applicable to all persons who are admitted to practice law in South Carolina between March 1, 2009, and January 1, 2011.

Court Clarifies Rule 403, SCACR

By order dated September 6, 2007, the Supreme Court clarified Rule 403 of the South Carolina Appellate Court Rules regarding the trial experiences an attorney must complete before he or she may appear alone in a hearing, trial, or deposition. Additionally, the Court has approved a revised certificate for use with Rule 403. The Office of Bar Admissions will, however, accept older versions of the certificate.

Supreme Court Amends Rule 402, SCACR

The Supreme Court of South Carolina has amended Rule 402, SCACR, to delete the provisions allowing applicants to review and seek re-grading of their examinations. This change is effective June 1, 2007, and applies to all bar examinations conducted after that date.

South Carolina Bar Application

A downloadable Word version of the South Carolina Bar Application is now available for applicants seeking to take the South Carolina Bar Examination. The file is password protected, but if you have Word 2000, you can open the file, fill in the blanks, and save it using a new filename. It is important to use the "Tab" key to navigate between the fields and not the "Enter" key. Once completed, the application must be printed, signed and mailed to the Bar Admissions Office along with all supporting documentation.

A new user-friendly version of the Bar Application is now available. This version will wrap text and stretch to accommodate your entries. The other instructions above remain applicable. Please note there is only one character affidavit in the form - you can instruct your references to access the character affidavit for ease of completion or simply print out the affidavits from the printable version for them to fill out on a typewriter. If you place the mouse on the highlighted text you will see instructions.

Bar Application in Word 2000 Format (February 2010 Use Only)

Bar Application in Word 2000 Format (July 2010 Use Only)

Character Affidavit in Adobe Acrobat Format (Printable Version)

Supplemental Application (February 2010 Use Only)

Supplemental Application (July 2010 Use Only)

*If you are uncertain about which application to file,
please contact the Office of Bar Admissions.

General Information

The Bar Admissions Office is responsible for processing applications to be admitted to practice law in South Carolina to include supervising the administration of the South Carolina Bar Examination. Additionally, it provides administrative support for the Board of Law Examiners and the Committee on Character and Fitness.

Except for certain law professors and applicants for limited certificates to practice law, all applicants for admission must take and pass the South Carolina Bar Examination. Further, only persons who have received a JD or LLB degree from law school which was approved by the Council of Legal Education of the American Bar Association at the time the degree was conferred are eligible to sit for the Bar Examination.

The South Carolina Bar Examination is given twice a year on the last consecutive Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday in February and July. On Monday and Tuesday, applicants must answer essay questions prepared by the Board of Law Examiners. These questions are given in 6 sections with each section lasting two hours. An applicant must receive a score of 70 out of 100 points to pass an essay section. On Wednesday, applicants complete the Multistate Bar Examination (MBE) prepared by the National Conference of Bar Examiners. The examination involves two examination periods of 3 hours, each containing100 multiple choice questions. The MBE counts as one section of the Bar Examination and an applicant must receive a scaled score of 125 or higher to pass this section. To pass the Bar Examination, an applicant must receive a passing score on at least six of the seven sections. Beginning with the July 2002 Bar Examination, an applicant who receives a scaled score of 110 or less on the Mutistate Bar Examination will fail the entire Bar Examination without any grading of the essay sections.

The filing period for the July Examination is December 1 until January 31, and the filing period for the February Examination is August 1 until September 30. The application fee varies as shown below:

July Applications Filed Between:	February Applications Filed Between:	Filing Fee
December 1 to January 10	August 1 to August 31	$400
January 11 to January 31	September 1 to September 30	$750

Additionally, an applicant who has been admitted in another state or the District of Columbia for one year or more must file one (1) additional copy of the application along with an additional fee of $500. A portion of this fee will be used to obtain a character report from the National Conference of Bar Examiners.

Rule 402 of the South Carolina Appellate Court Rules (SCACR) contains additional information about the requirements for admission in South Carolina. An application packet may be obtained from the Bar Admissions Office.

In addition to regular admissions, the Bar Admissions Office also processes applications for limited certificates to practice law in South Carolina. Additional information on these limited certificates to practice law is contained in Rules 405 (corporate or business counsel), 414 (clinical law program teachers) and 415 (retired attorney pro bono participation program). Application packets may be obtained from the Bar Admissions Office.

Rule 403, SCACR, establishes trial experiences which must be completed before a lawyer may appear alone in any matter pending before a court in South Carolina. The certificate (Word version/Acrobat version) or affidavit showing compliance with this rule should be submitted in duplicate to the Bar Admissions Office.

For information about the Bridge the Gap Program, to include an application form for that Program, please go to the South Carolina Bar Website, www.scbar.org and click on the link CLE. On the CLE page, there is a link to material about the Bridge the Gap Program.

For information about the Multistate Professional Responsibility Examination (MPRE), including registration, fees and test dates, please go to the National Conference of Bar Examiners Website, www.ncbex.org.

Voice:	(803) 734-1080 *
FAX:	(803) 734-0394
TTY:	(803) 734-6365