Help With Civil Cases — SC Access to Justice (2024)

You have several different options for finding help when faced with a civil legal problem.

Civil court is also called the Court of Common Pleas. If your case involves an amount of money less than $7,500, it will be heard in a Magistrate Court. Civil legal issues include a variety of different problems such as landlord/tenant disputes, foreclosures, employment, health care, public benefits, and more.

Use our interactive Legal Resource Finder to find legal help and online resources available to you!

Hire and pay a private attorney.

The South Carolina Bar offers a Lawyer Referral Service to members of the public at no charge. You may call 1-800-868-2284 for a referral from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday. (If you’re in Richland or Lexington Counties, call 803-799-7100). An online referral service is also available 24/7.

The Lawyer Referral Service makes referrals by area of law, and where you’re located. Each participating lawyer agrees to charge no more than $50 for a 30-minute consultation. If the consultation lasts more than 30 minutes, or you hire the lawyer to represent you, the lawyer will charge their normal fee. These lawyers do not take cases pro bono.

Click below to visit the Lawyer Referral Service website.

Lawyer Referral Service

Contact South Carolina Legal Services.

South Carolina Legal Services provides free civil legal services for low income residents of South Carolina. They do not take any criminal cases. If you would like to apply for their services, call the statewide Legal Services Intake Office toll free at 1-888-346-5592 (if you’re in the Columbia area, call 803-744-9430). You can call the intake office line from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Thursday.

Be prepared to answer questions about your income and the type of problem you need help with. Due to limited resources, South Carolina Legal Services is unable to accept everyone’s case. Intake staff may refer you to another agency for further assistance.

Please note that South Carolina Legal Services does not give legal advice over the phone.

Spanish-speaking applicants and hearing-impaired applicants who have TTY capability should also call the statewide telephone number at 1-888-346-5592. If your primary language is something other than English or Spanish, call the closest Legal Services office to set up an intake appointment.

Click below to visit the South Carolina Legal Services website.

South Carolina Legal Services

Request a pro bono attorney.

There are a few different programs in South Carolina that offer pro bono services. If you meet income and asset eligibility, but South Carolina Legal Services is unable to assist you, ask them to make a referral to the South Carolina Bar Pro Bono Program.

The South Carolina Bar Pro Bono Program uses volunteer attorneys to help people with a variety of legal issues throughout the state. There are also regional pro bono providers.

Click on the links below to visit the websites for South Carolina’s pro bono providers.

SC Bar Pro Bono Program

Charleston Pro Bono Legal Services

Lowcountry Legal Volunteers

What if I don’t qualify for pro bono or legal services, but I still can’t afford an attorney?

If you can’t afford to hire an attorney, but your income is too high to qualify for a lawyer from SC Legal Services or a pro bono program, there may still be someone who can help you. Charleston Legal Access is a non-profit law firm that charges clients on a sliding scale based on their income and family size.

Represent yourself.

Ideally everyone who went to court would have an attorney to represent them. Unfortunately, this simply isn’t a reality. If you are unable to find an attorney to represent you, you can represent yourself. If possible, try to speak with an attorney before you begin.

There are lots of resources for “self-represented litigants” - that is, people who represent themselves in court. The South Carolina Court system has developed a web page that houses a variety of self-help resources, including frequently asked questions, packets of forms, and informational videos.

Additionally, South Carolina Legal Services has worked with partner organizations to develop interactive interviews that are easy to use, and help complete all the court forms you need in one sitting. They have also developed an online classroom with videos that give you all the information you will need about your type of case.

Click the links below to access these resources.

South Carolina Court’s Self-Help Resources

South Carolina Legal Services Interactive Interviews

South Carolina Legal Services Online Classrooms

Contact a different legal services provider.

There are dozens of other organizations and programs around South Carolina that might be able to help you with the problem you’re having. Use this list to help explore all of your options.