SCLS General Brochure

How does SCLS help people?

• Provides representation in judicial and administrative forums
• Gives legal counsel and advice
• Conducts legal education and outreach about rights and responsibilities (“preventative” law)
• Distributes legal self-help materials, forms
• Conducts Self-Represented Litigant Clinics

What legal problems can SCLS handle?

• Education: School Discipline, School Enrollment and Fees, IEP and Special Education Services
• Employment: Wage Claims, Working Conditions, Unemployment Compensation, Wrongful Termination
• Housing: Foreclosures, Public Housing and Evictions, Homeownership, Federally Subsidized Housing
• Family: Orders of Protection, Divorce for Physical Cruelty, Custody/Visitation/Adoption, Amended/Delayed Birth Certificate
• Consumer: Loans and Installment Purchases, Bankruptcy, Claim and Delivery, Credit Disputes, Predatory Lending
• Public Benefits: Social Security, SSI, SNAP, Family Independence (TANF), Medicaid, Veterans Benefits
• Probate: Wills, Living Wills/Powers of Attorney, Conservatorship, Guardianship
• Migrant Farmworkers: Wage Claims, Employment Conditions, Worker Safety, Labor Camp Conditions, Discrimination, Rights of H2 Workers
• Federal Tax Problems: Innocent Spouse Relief, Injured Spouse Claims, Filing Status, Earning Income Credit Appeals, Liens & Levies
• Community Economic Development: By-laws, Incorporation, Non-profit Status

This is not a complete listing
The types of legal problems SCLS can handle may change depending on our resources.

What SCLS cannot handle:

• Criminal cases
• Fee-generating cases that private attorneys are willing to accept on a contingency fee basis
• Class actions, rulemaking, lobbying, litigation on behalf of prisoners

How do I contact SCLS?
Call our toll-free intake office at (888) 346-5592, Monday through Thursday, between 9:00 am and 6:00 pm. You may also contact us by email at
contactus@sclegal.org. We use language interpreter services to provide interpreters in over 170 languages. We also provide free interpreters for applicants and clients who do not speak English or who have a hearing impairment.

Am I eligible for help from SCLS?
SCLS receives funding from several different sources. Some grants limit services to persons meeting financial guidelines. Other grants may have no financial guidelines but limit the type of legal assistance that can be provided.

You will be required to provide information about your household size, income, assets and case type. Legal case types are limited by SCLS’s
Board of Directors based on funding and resources.

With a few exceptions, a person must be a citizen of the United States or a legal resident.

Completing the intake DOES NOT create an attorney-client privilege or guarantee representation; however, the information we collect is confidential.

How do I find out more about South Carolina Legal Services?
SCLS has three websites: www.sclegal.org, www.lawhelp.org/sc, and www.probono.net/sc.

Lawhelp.org/sc is South Carolina’s guide to hundreds of free legal resources such as:

• Information about your rights and legal responsibilities in over a dozen areas of law
• Copies of legal forms and court documents
• Legal services organizations and pro bono programs that will provide free and low-cost legal help
• Contact information for social service agencies, and community organizations
• Court information

Sclegal.org is a statewide website that contains:

• Information for the public in all civil law areas
• Legal library
• PowerPoints on substantive issues
• Video discussion on legal topics
• Resources for the deaf/blind
• News section for upcoming self-help clinic/community education events
• Limited English Proficiency informational links

probono.net/sc contains substantive resources for advocates. It is a password protected website.

SCLS Divisions
Migrant – (888) 720-2320
Low Income Taxpayer Clinic – (800) 763-4825 ext 3256

SCLS Offices
Click here to view our SCLS office locations

Invest In Us
You can help put justice in everyone’s reach by contributing to South Carolina Legal Services, a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit law firm. We receive federal funding as well as various other grants. However, more than 800,000 South Carolinians live below the poverty level, and many legal needs go unmet. Click here to donate to SCLS using our JustGiving platform. You can also mail your monetary donations payable to South Carolina Legal Services, PO Box 1445, Columbia, SC 29202. Donations to SCLS are tax deductible to the extent allowed by law.