The Supreme Court of South Carolina
RE: Lawyer Mentoring Program and the Coronavirus Pandemic
ORDER
Rule 425 of the South Carolina Appellate Court Rules (SCACR) establishes a mandatory lawyer mentoring program for persons admitted to practice law in South Carolina under Rule 402, SCACR. With the exception of the requirement that new lawyers must complete and submit the required application or request for deferment or waiver within thirty days of admission, all other requirements for new lawyers under Rule 425 are suspended due to the current coronavirus emergency. This includes the times specified in the rule for a new lawyer to complete the program. This suspension will remain in effect pending further order of this Court.
Despite this suspension, this Court strongly encourages new lawyers to proceed with the mentoring program to the extent possible. Further, mentors for both individuals and groups are encouraged to use remote means such as the telephone, web conferencing, and email to conduct the mentoring. Mentors may certify a lawyer as having completed the mentoring program even if it has not been possible to "introduce the new lawyer to others in the lawyer's local or regional legal community and encourage the new lawyer to become an active part of that community" as suggested by Rule 425(f)(4).
s/Donald W. Beatty C.J. s/John W. Kittredge J. s/Kaye G. Hearn J. s/John Cannon Few J. s/George C. James, Jr. J. |
Columbia, South Carolina
April 29, 2020