The Supreme Court of South Carolina Access to Justice Commission, the South Carolina Bar, and the Nelson Mullins Center on Professionalism at the University of South Carolina School of Law on Tuesday unveiled the findings of the state’s first civil legal needs assessment. 

“This effort is really a tremendous step away from the semi-productive approach of making an educated guess at how bad a problem is,” said Justice John C. Few.

The nearly 300-page report includes six years of state civil court data and findings from 14 focus groups, a series of interviews with justice system stakeholders, and two community surveys – one of attorneys and another of more than 1,300 low- and moderate-income people in South Carolina. An online dashboard provides a more in-depth look at court data by case type and county, and even by census tract. 

“I think everybody agrees it’s an important problem and that addressing it is a priority,” said Elizabeth Chambliss, Henry Harman Edens professor of law and director of the NMRS Center on Professionalism. “Now the goal is to figure out some actionable approaches to making a positive change.” 

To increase access to resources, the Justices of the Supreme Court made it clear the onus is on everyone in the legal community.  

"It's time for us to be intentional about putting some of these good suggestions into practice. Now we're going to take the lead,” said Chief Justice Donald W. Beatty. “The Court is going to consider CLE credit for pro bono participation.” 

Less than 10 years ago, South Carolina was last in a national ranking of access to civil legal assistance. Although that’s no longer the case, there is room for improvement. 

"The Bar is honored to be a funding-partner in this first-ever study surrounding the legal needs and resources for the people of South Carolina,” said Rusty Infinger, president-elect of the Bar. “The attorneys of this state are committed leaders in this process – asking the important questions for meaningful solutions benefitting the justice system moving forward." 

The complete report is available at scaccesstojustice.org/legal-needs

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