IN RE: William John SIMS (2026)

ORDER

Petitioner was placed on interim suspension on November 21, 2022. In re Sims, 438 S.C. 60, 882 S.E.2d 168 (2022). Subsequently, this Court accepted an agreement for discipline between Petitioner and the Office of Disciplinary and imposed a nine-month definite suspension, retroactive to the date of Petitioner's interim suspension. In re Sims, 445 S.C. 633, 916 S.E.2d 316 (2025). On May 16, 2025, Petitioner filed a petition for reinstatement, which was referred to the Committee on Character and Fitness. Following a hearing, the Committee issued a report recommending Petitioner be reinstated to the practice of law on the condition that he enter into and comply with a three-year monitoring contract with Lawyers Helping Lawyers.

Upon review of the entire record before the Court, we find Petitioner has demonstrated he meets the requirements of Rule 33(f), RLDE. Therefore, we grant the petition and reinstate Petitioner as a regular member of the South Carolina Bar, conditioned upon Petitioner entering into a three-year monitoring agreement with Lawyers Helping Lawyers that includes random drug and alcohol testing and the filing of quarterly compliance reports with the Commission on Lawyer Conduct.

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.