Hiring a Business Lawyer in South Carolina
How to form an LLC in South Carolina, the state fees and yearly filings, how to check a lawyer's license, and the state bar's fee rules. We do not recommend or rank lawyers.
What a lawyer costs in South Carolina: fee rules
| Rules on contingency fees | Under South Carolina Rule of Professional Conduct 1.5(c) (Rule 407, SCACR), a contingent fee agreement must be in a writing signed by the client stating how the fee is determined, including the percentage(s) for settlement, trial or appeal; litigation and other expenses deducted from the recovery; and whether expenses are deducted before or after the fee is calculated. It must clearly notify the client of any expenses the client will be expected to pay, and at the end the lawyer must give a written statement of the outcome and, if there is a recovery, the remittance and how it was determined. Rule 1.5(d) bars fees in domestic relations matters contingent on securing a divorce or on the amount of alimony, support or property settlement (though a contingency fee may be charged to collect past-due alimony or child support), and contingent fees for defending a criminal case. |
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| If you disagree with a lawyer's bill | The South Carolina Bar's Resolution of Fee Disputes Board (created by Rule 416, SCACR) resolves fee, cost and disbursement disputes between clients and Bar members. It will not take disputes of $50,000 or more or fees that must be approved by a court or other tribunal, and a dispute cannot be filed more than three years after it arose. Apply with the Bar's Application for Resolution of Disputed Fee, attaching copies (not originals) of supporting documents. For low-level misunderstandings not involving ethics violations, the Bar's Client Assistance Program can help. Rule 416 limits: https://www.sccourts.org/resources/judicial-community/court-rules/appellate/rule-416/rule-2/ |
| If a lawyer takes your money | The South Carolina Bar's Lawyers' Fund for Client Protection (Rule 411, SCACR) reimburses losses caused by a Bar member's dishonest conduct when the lawyer has died, been disbarred or suspended, resigned, been declared incompetent, gone bankrupt, left the state or cannot be found, or become a judgment debtor for that conduct. Payments are a matter of grace, not right, up to $40,000 per claim and $200,000 total per attorney. The application must reach the Bar within three years after you discovered (or should have discovered) the dishonest conduct, and no application is considered more than six years after the conduct. Application: https://www.scbar.org/for-the-public/quicklinks/help-with-your-attorney/ |
South Carolina rules to know first
| How to form an LLC | An LLC is organized by filing articles of organization with the South Carolina Secretary of State. The Secretary of State's Business Entities page offers online filing and search through its Business Filings system (businessfilings.sc.gov). The articles must include the name and/or address of the registered agent located in South Carolina. The pages reviewed did not state processing times. |
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| LLC filing fee | By statute, the Secretary of State's fee for filing articles of organization of a limited liability company is one hundred ten dollars. Source: S.C. Code § 33-44-1204(a)(1) |
| Registered agent | An LLC must designate and continuously maintain in South Carolina an office (which need not be a place of business) and an agent with a street address for service of process. The agent must be an individual South Carolina resident, a domestic corporation, another LLC, or a foreign corporation or company authorized to do business in South Carolina. A statement of change of designated office or agent costs ten dollars. |
| Operating agreement | All members of an LLC may enter into an operating agreement, which need not be in writing, to regulate the company's affairs; where the agreement is silent, the LLC statute governs. No requirement to file it with the Secretary of State was found. Source: S.C. Code § 33-44-103(a) |
| Closing an LLC | After dissolution and winding up, an LLC ends its existence by filing articles of termination with the Secretary of State; the filing fee is ten dollars. A foreign LLC applies for a certificate of cancellation (ten dollars). |
Find and check a lawyer
| Lawyer referral service | The South Carolina Bar's Lawyer Referral Service (LRS) connects you with a lawyer by type of law and location. Call (803) 799-7100 (9 a.m.-noon and 1-5 p.m., Monday-Friday) or use the online referral service 24/7. Each participating lawyer agrees to charge no more than $50 for a 30-minute consultation; beyond that, or if you hire the lawyer, normal fees apply. LRS lawyers do not take pro bono cases. |
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| Check that the lawyer is licensed | The South Carolina Judicial Branch's attorney search lets you search for attorneys licensed to practice law in South Carolina by first name, last name or bar number; a successful search gives the attorney's name, phone number, address and email address. |
| Check discipline history or file a complaint | Complaints about South Carolina lawyers go to the Supreme Court's Office of Disciplinary Counsel (ODC); the South Carolina Bar does not license, investigate or discipline attorneys. A complaint must be in writing and signed by the person making it, fully identify the lawyer, describe what happened in detail with copies of supporting documents, and include your contact information; the ODC form is optional. File by mail to Office of Disciplinary Counsel, Post Office Box 12159, Columbia, SC 29211, or by hand delivery to 1220 Senate Street, Suite 201, Columbia, SC 29201. Email is not accepted. |
All legal help in South Carolina · Background guide
Last verified against official sources: October 27, 2026.
How we source this page: each state-specific rule links to the statute, court rule or official government page it comes from. A rule taken from a public copy of a state code (used only where the official code is not freely readable online) is marked as a secondary source. Spot an error? Use the contact page to report it. About our sources
General legal information, not legal advice. Laws change and local rules can differ; check the linked official source or talk to a lawyer about your situation.