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Supreme Court Seal
South Carolina
Judicial Branch

Rule 506
Code of Conduct for Staff Attorneys and Law Clerks

CANON 1

A STAFF ATTORNEY OR LAW CLERK SHOULD UPHOLD THE INTEGRITY AND INDEPENDENCE OF THE JUDICIARY AND OF HIS (1)OFFICE

An independent and honorable judiciary is indispensable to justice in our society. A staff attorney or law clerk should himself observe, and should impart to anyone under his supervision, high standards of conduct so that the integrity and independence of the judiciary may be preserved and his office may reflect a devotion to serving the public. The provisions of this Code should be construed and applied to further those objectives. Enforcement of the standards of this Code is generally in the discretion of the employing court, but such enforcement shall not preclude enforcement pursuant to law, court order, or the Rules of Professional Conduct. The standards established by this Code shall not preclude other more stringent standards required by law, court order or by the Rules of Professional Conduct. For the purpose of this Code, the term 'staff attorney' includes any attorney who is employed by the Judicial Department other than a law clerk or a member of the judiciary.

1. In the interest of verbal economy, masculine pronouns shall be read to incorporate the feminine gender throughout the Code.