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South Carolina

ABA Model Rule 8.4(g) Efforts in South Carolina


Status Of Action in South Carolina

November 2020
Status – The South Carolina Bar is considering amending its misconduct rule.

On November 20, the Professional Responsibility Committee of the South Carolina Bar voted 18-11 to forward a proposed rule, Proposed Rule 8.4(h), to the South Carolina Bar House of Delegates for consideration at its meeting during the South Carolina Bar Virtual Convention, which is being held January 19-22, 2021.

June 2017
On June 20, 2017, the South Carolina Supreme Court issued an Order announcing it would not incorporate ABA Model Rule 8.4(g) into the South Carolina Rules of Professional Conduct.

May 2017
On May 1, 2017, the South Carolina Attorney General’s Office issued a written opinion in which it concluded “that the likelihood of a successful challenge to the Model Rule based on the First Amendment and the Establishment Clause is substantial and that a court could well conclude the Rule is unconstitutional.”

March 2017
Christian Legal Society filed its comment letter with the South Carolina Supreme Court on March 22, 2017.

September 2016 – January 2017
The ABA wrote to the Supreme Court of South Carolina on September 29, 2016, requesting that court review ABA Model Rule 8.4(g) and consider integrating it into the current version of Rule 8.4 of the South Carolina Rules of Professional Conduct.

In the meantime, the Professional Responsibility Committee of the South Carolina Bar considered the ABA’s model rule and advised the House of Delegates of the South Carolina Bar that it opposed the model rule. During the January 2017 South Carolina Bar Convention, the House of Delegates debated the model rule. The House of Delegates ultimately adopted a proposal “to not approve Rule 8.4(g) as written and to have a public hearing and public comment.”

In light of that action, the South Carolina Supreme Court is soliciting public comment as to whether ABA Model Rule 8.4(g) should be adopted in South Carolina. Comments are due by March 29, 2017.


Proposed Rule Changes in South Carolina

Current Rule 8.4 Misconduct
It is professional misconduct for a lawyer to:

(a) violate or attempt to violate the Rules of Professional Conduct, knowingly assist or induce another to do so, or do so through the acts of another;

(b) commit a criminal act that reflects adversely on the lawyer’s honesty, trustworthiness or fitness as a lawyer in other respects;

(c) commit a criminal act involving moral turpitude;

(d) engage in conduct involving dishonesty, fraud, deceit or misrepresentation;

(e) engage in conduct that is prejudicial to the administration of justice;

(f) state or imply an ability to influence improperly a government agency or official or to achieve results by means that violate the Rules of Professional Conduct or other law; or

(g) knowingly assist a judge or judicial officer in conduct that is a violation of applicable rules of judicial conduct or other law.

Current Comment
[1] Lawyers are subject to discipline when they violate or attempt to violate the Rules of Professional Conduct, knowingly assist or induce another to do so or do so through the acts of another, as when they request or instruct an agent to do so on the lawyer’s behalf. Paragraph (a), however, does not prohibit a lawyer from advising a client concerning action the client is legally entitled to take.

[2] Many kinds of illegal conduct reflect adversely on fitness to practice law, such as offenses involving fraud and the offense of willful failure to file an income tax return. Although a lawyer is personally answerable to the entire criminal law, a lawyer should be professionally answerable only for offenses that indicate lack of those characteristics relevant to law practice. Offenses involving violence, dishonesty, breach of trust, or serious interference with the administration of justice are in that category. The South Carolina version of this Rule also specifically includes criminal acts involving moral turpitude as professional misconduct. A pattern of repeated offenses, even ones of minor significance when considered separately, can indicate indifference to legal obligation.

[3] A lawyer who, in the course of representing a client, knowingly manifests by words or conduct, bias or prejudice based upon race, sex, religion, national origin, disability, age, sexual orientation or socioeconomic status, violates paragraph (e) when such actions are prejudicial to the administration of justice. Legitimate advocacy respecting the foregoing factors does not violate paragraph (e). A trial judge’s finding that peremptory challenges were exercised on a discriminatory basis does not alone establish a violation of this rule.

[4] A lawyer may refuse to comply with an obligation imposed by law upon a good faith belief that no valid obligation exists. The provisions of Rule 1.2(d) concerning a good faith challenge to the validity, scope, meaning or application of the law apply to challenges of legal regulation of the practice of law.

[5] Lawyers holding public office assume legal responsibilities going beyond those of other citizens. A lawyer’s abuse of public office can suggest an inability to fulfill the professional role of lawyers. The same is true of abuse of positions of private trust such as trustee, executor, administrator, guardian, agent and officer, director or manager of a corporation or other organization.
2020 Proposed Rule 8.4(h)
It is professional misconduct for a lawyer to:

(h) engage in conduct that the lawyer knows or reasonably should know is discrimination or harassment based on race, color, sex, religion, national origin, disability, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, or socioeconomic status that (1) violates a federal, state or local statute or ordinance that prohibits discrimination or harassment or (2) reflects adversely on the lawyer’s fitness as a lawyer.

For purposes of this paragraph, whether conduct reflects adversely on a lawyer’s fitness as a lawyer shall be determined after consideration of the totality of the circumstances. Circumstances that may be relevant include: (1) the seriousness of the conduct; (2) whether the conduct was knowing or intentional; (3) whether the lawyer knew that the conduct was prohibited by statute or ordinance; (4) whether the conduct was part of a pattern of prohibited conduct; or (5) whether the conduct was committed in connection with the lawyer’s professional activities.

2020 Proposed Comment
[5] “Discrimination” means unjust or prejudicial treatment based on the grounds of race, color, sex, religion, national origin, disability, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, or socioeconomic status, and may include harmful verbal or physical conduct that manifests bias or prejudice toward others.

[6] “Harassment” means a pattern of intentional, substantial, and unreasonable intrusion into the private or professional life of a targeted person or group that serves no legitimate purpose and would cause a reasonable person or group member to suffer mental or emotional distress, and may include harmful verbal or physical conduct that manifests bias or prejudice toward others.

[7] The substantive law of antidiscrimination and anti-harassment statutes and case law may guide application of paragraph (h).

[8] Declining representation, limiting one’s practice to particular clients or types of clients, and advocacy of policy positions or changes in the law are not regulated by paragraph (h).

[9] Nothing in paragraph (h) limits a lawyer’s ability to advocate fully and zealously on behalf of a client. However, full and zealous advocacy does not encompass and will not excuse conduct that exploits any characteristic or status that the lawyer knows or reasonably should know is not relevant to any legal or factual issue in dispute, including race, color, sex, religion, national origin, disability, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, or socioeconomic status. Legitimate advocacy respecting the foregoing factors does not violate paragraph (h).

[10] A trial judge’s finding that peremptory challenges were exercised on a discriminatory basis does not alone establish a violation of paragraph (h).

[11] Paragraph (h) does not limit the ability of lawyers to engage in constitutionally protected activities, including expressing opinions about controversial and/or political topics; however, a lawyer cannot invoke the constitutional right of free speech to immunize the lawyer from evenhanded discipline for proven unethical conduct.

[12] “Professional activities” encompasses a lawyer’s role as a representative of clients and an officer of the legal system. Such role includes representing clients; interacting with witnesses, coworkers, court personnel, lawyers, and others while engaged in the practice of law; attendance or participation in continuing legal education programs; and operating or managing a law firm.
2017 Proposed Rule – ABA Model Rule 8.4(g)
It is professional misconduct for a lawyer to:

(g) engage in conduct that the lawyer knows or reasonably should know is harassment or discrimination on the basis of race, sex, religion, national origin, ethnicity, disability, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status or socioeconomic status in conduct related to the practice of law. This paragraph does not limit the ability of a lawyer to accept, decline or withdraw from a representation in accordance with Rule 1.16. This paragraph does not preclude legitimate advice or advocacy consistent with these Rules.

2017 Proposed Comment
[3] Discrimination and harassment by lawyers in violation of paragraph (g) undermine confidence in the legal profession and the legal system. Such discrimination includes harmful verbal or physical conduct that manifests bias or prejudice towards others. Harassment includes sexual harassment and derogatory or demeaning verbal or physical conduct. Sexual harassment includes unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, and other unwelcome verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature. The substantive law of antidiscrimination and anti-harassment statutes and case law may guide application of paragraph (g).

[4] Conduct related to the practice of law includes representing clients; interacting with witnesses, coworkers, court personnel, lawyers and others while engaged in the practice of law; operating or managing a law firm or law practice; and participating in bar association, business or social activities in connection with the practice of law. Lawyers may engage in conduct undertaken to promote diversity and inclusion without violating this Rule by, for example, implementing initiatives aimed at recruiting, hiring, retaining and advancing diverse employees or sponsoring diverse law student organizations.

[5] A trial judge’s finding that peremptory challenges were exercised on a discriminatory basis does not alone establish a violation of paragraph (g). A lawyer does not violate paragraph (g) by limiting the scope or subject matter of the lawyer’s practice or by limiting the lawyer’s practice to members of underserved populations in accordance with these Rules and other law. A lawyer may charge and collect reasonable fees and expenses for a representation. Rule 1.5(a). Lawyers also should be mindful of their professional obligations under Rule 6.1 to provide legal services to those who are unable to pay, and their obligation under Rule 6.2 not to avoid appointments from a tribunal except for good cause. See Rule 6.2(a), (b) and (c). A lawyer’s representation of a client does not constitute an endorsement by the lawyer of the client’s views or activities. See Rule 1.2(b).

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