The Legal Services Corporation (LSC) is a non-profit established by Congress in 1974 (Legal Services Corporation Act, 42 U.S.C. § 2996) to fund civil legal aid for low-income Americans. LSC funds 1 grantee organization serving South Carolina, providing free civil legal services to people who cannot afford a lawyer.

South Carolina LSC service statistics

  • LSC-eligible population in South Carolina: approximately 974,611 people (19.7% of state population at or below 125% Federal Poverty Level)
  • Cases closed in latest reporting year: 7,159 (state aggregate across all South Carolina LSC grantees)
  • Cases handled per 10,000 LSC-eligible residents: 73.5

LSC grantee organizations in South Carolina

OrganizationLSC profileEligible populationCases closed
South Carolina Legal Services, Inc.profile974,6117,159

LSC eligibility requirements

LSC programs serve households with income at or below 125% of the Federal Poverty Level (FPL) — for tax year 2025, that’s:

  • 1 person: $19,562
  • 2 persons: $26,463
  • 3 persons: $33,275
  • 4 persons: $39,438
  • Each additional person: +$6,950

Some matters allow up to 200% FPL for low-cost or sliding-fee services. Asset limits also apply (vary by program).

Civil matters LSC programs typically handle

  • Housing: eviction defense, public housing access, fair housing complaints, foreclosure prevention
  • Family law: divorce, child custody, child support, domestic violence protective orders, name change
  • Public benefits: SNAP, TANF, Medicaid eligibility appeals, SSDI denials
  • Consumer: debt collection defense, predatory lending, payday loan disputes, identity theft
  • Employment: wage theft, unemployment-benefits appeals, wrongful termination
  • Healthcare: Medicare appeals, healthcare access
  • Elder law: advance directives, elder abuse intervention
  • Education: special education advocacy, school discipline

LSC programs typically do NOT handle: criminal defense (that’s public defender), immigration COURT representation (see /procedures/bia-recognized-help-by-state/south-carolina/), class-action lawsuits, prisoner litigation (limited), abortion-related (restricted by 45 CFR 1610).

Last verified: 2026-05-27. Source: Legal Services Corporation grantee database (lsc.gov/grants/our-grantees). General procedural information — not legal advice. LSC eligibility rules and grantee organizations change; verify before applying.

Recent fee, deadline, and contact context (2025-2026)

The Legal Services Corporation (LSC) received approximately $560 million in federal appropriations for FY 2025. LSC-funded programs closed approximately 700,000 civil cases nationally in 2024 affecting roughly 2 million household members. The Federal Poverty Level (FPL) threshold updates each January — verify current LSC income eligibility at lsc.gov/about-lsc.

LSC funding restrictions under 45 CFR 1626 limit LSC-funded organizations from representing certain non-citizens in most civil matters. The 1996 Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act (PRWORA) and subsequent appropriation riders established these restrictions. Many LSC grantees operate parallel non-LSC funded programs that serve a broader population.

For LSC technical assistance and grantee questions: LSC Office of Compliance and Enforcement, 3333 K Street NW, Washington DC 20007, 1-202-295-1500 Monday-Friday 9:00am-5:00pm Eastern Time. For LSC’s compliance hotline (report grantee non-compliance): 1-800-678-8868. The LSC IG (Office of Inspector General) at oig.lsc.gov investigates fraud.

LawHelp.org (consortium of state legal-aid websites) at lawhelp.org provides do-it-yourself legal information in 30+ languages including English and Spanish, organized by state and topic. Self-help court forms and procedural guidance for unrepresented litigants. Verify your specific state’s legal-aid web portal at lawhelp.org/find-help-near-you.