On Thursday, August 18, 2016, Chief Justice Costa Pleicones addressed members of South Carolina's Judiciary at the Annual Judicial Conference. The Chief welcomed new family court judges, Michele Forsythe, Karen Roper and Katherine Tiffany; and new circuit court judge, Jocelyn Newman. He also recognized James Lockemy as the new Chief Judge of the Court of Appeals and John Few as the newest Associate Justice of the Supreme Court.

Chief Justice Pleicones was pleased to say that one of the first accomplishments of his tenure as Chief Justice is the Supreme Court's decision to adopt the Uniform Bar Examination (UBE). The first administration of the UBE will be February 2017. He also discussed another topic related to the training of new admittees - Rule 403 Trial Experiences certification - which is being overhauled under the leadership of Justice John Kittredge.

Chief Justice Pleicones provided an update on the electronic filing project. By the end of August, E-Filing will be a reality in seven counties. By early 2019, E-Filing will be implemented in all counties in the court of common pleas.

The Chief ended his remarks by recognizing Chief Justice Elect Donald Beatty.