RE AMENDMENTS TO APPENDIX TO PART IV SOUTH CAROLINA APPELLATE COURT RULES v. << (2025)

ORDER

The Commission on Continuing Legal Education and Specialization has proposed amendments to Appendix C to Part of the South Carolina Appellate Court Rules (SCACR), which governs the mandatory continuing legal education (CLE) requirements for Judges, Members of the South Carolina Bar, and Foreign Legal Consultants. The two requested amendments involve the process of accreditation of CLE programs by the Commission.

The first proposed amendment permits online and telephone CLE programs to be accredited by the Commission retroactively in the same manner as in-person programs. The second proposed amendment allows online programs to be accredited for the total number of hours of those programs, rather than be limited to eight hours.

We grant the Commission's request. Pursuant to Article V, § 4, of the South Carolina Constitution, Regulations IV and V of Appendix C to Part IV, South Carolina Appellate Court Rules, are amended as set forth in the attachment to this order. The amendments are effective immediately.

s/ John W. Kittredge, C.J.

s/ John Cannon Few, J.

s/ George C. James, Jr., J.

s/ D. Garrison Hill, J.

s/ Letitia H. Verdin, J.

Attachment

Regulation IV(A), of Appendix C to Part IV, SCACR, is amended to provide:

IV. Hours and Accreditation

A. General.

One (1) hour of accredited CLE means sixty (60) minutes of actual instruction as teacher or student at any CLE course which has been accredited by the Commission on Continuing Legal Education and Specialization (Commission). The duration of the course accreditation extends through the last day of the calendar year in which the course is held. Except for In-House CLE courses under Regulation IV(D), which must be prospectively accredited, the Commission will consider applications for retroactive and prospective accreditation of courses.

Regulation V(B)(2), of Appendix C to Part IV, SCACR, is amended to provide:

V. Accreditation Standards

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2. In addition to meeting the standards of Paragraph (A), above, online and telephone courses:

(a) Shall utilize some mechanism to monitor course participation and completion in such a manner that certification of attendance is controlled by the provider. Courses shall not be susceptible to a “fast forward” finish by attendees.

(b) High quality written materials shall be available to be downloaded or otherwise furnished so that attendees have the ability to refer to such materials during and subsequent to the presentation.

(c) Telephone courses will be accredited for the actual time spent to a maximum of ninety (90) minutes per activity.

(d) Sponsors shall furnish to the Commission password and/or log-in capabilities for accredited courses. Access will allow for review of course mechanisms, such as interactive functionality. Any such activity may be audited by one or more representatives of the Commission without charge.