REQUESTING LEGAL ASSISTANCE

The mission of the ACLU of South Carolina is to defend, preserve, and advance civil liberties and civil rights as guaranteed by the US Constitution and the Bill of Rights.

We respond to every written request we receive, but not to multiple inquiries on the same matter. For issues that do not involve civil liberties or that we cannot take action on, we try to suggest alternative resources.

Before you write to request legal assistance, please review the following:

• The ACLU of South Carolina provides legal assistance in only a small number of cases.
• Violations of constitutional rights and civil liberties are widespread, but the ACLU of South Carolina is a small, non-profit organization and generally does not have the resources to undertake representation of individuals. We receive hundreds of requests for assistance each month and, unfortunately, we must turn down the overwhelming majority even when such requests are legitimate.
• The ACLU can rarely act on an emergency basis. If you need immediate legal assistance, please contact:

South Carolina Bar Association Lawyer Referral Service
PO Box 608
Columbia, SC 29202
Telephone 803.799.6653
Fax 803.799.4118

• Civil liberties include the right to due process and equal protection of the law as well as freedom of expression, freedom of the press, religious freedom, the right of association, the right of privacy, the right to be free of unreasonable searches and seizures, and the right to be free of cruel and unusual punishment. In most cases, these constitutional provisions apply only to the government; therefore, a legal matter usually raises a civil liberties issue only when a government official or a government agency is responsible for violating your rights.
• Civil rights statutes strengthen the right to equal protection by prohibiting private businesses as well as government agencies from discriminating. If you are the victim of discrimination on the basis of race, national origin, ethnic background, gender, religion, disability, or sexual orientation, you may have a legal remedy.

Before submitting your request for assistance, please review the types of cases the ACLU of South Carolina generally does not accept:

• Family law including divorces, child custody or visitation
• Denial of government benefits including worker’s compensation, unemployment, social security, or food stamps
• Landlord/tenant disputes
• Criminal defense
• Consumer complaints
• Challenges to convictions or prison sentences
• Complaints about court-appointed attorneys
• Employment issues
• Property disputes
• Complaints against lawyers or judges
• Cases that are too old
• Cases that originate outside of South Carolina - To find ACLU affiliates in other states, go to www.aclu.org

If we do not accept your case for representation, we cannot provide legal advice, research issues, comment on time deadlines or recommend actions.

Important Information about Deadlines

All legal claims have time deadlines that depend on the nature of the claim, who violated your rights, and which rights were violated. For some violations, you may be required to file a notice or pursue other options with a government agency before you can file a suit in court. If you do not comply with time deadlines or notice requirements, you could be legally prevented from pursuing your claim in court.

Contacting the ACLU to describe your problem does not mean that the ACLU represents you and does not stop these time deadlines from running or eliminate the need to file notices.

To ensure that your rights are protected, you may need to consult a private attorney promptly to find out what time deadlines may apply in your case. If you do not have an attorney, you can contact the SC Bar Association Lawyer Referral Service mentioned above.

How to Ask for Help

The ACLU of South Carolina does not review requests for legal assistance in person or over the telephone.  We cannot return phone calls to our office requesting assistance or advice – all requests must be in writing and include your names, address and telephone contact information.

• You may submit a request for consideration by letter or email.
• Letters should be no more than 3 pages in length and should describe the facts – who, what, when, where and why – of your situation.
• Only incidents that occurred in SOUTH CAROLINA should be submitted.  If you are requesting assistance for an incident that occurred or is being handled in another state, you should contact that ACLU office.  ACLU state affiliate information may be found at www.aclu.org
• If the person or organization has offered an explanation, please include that information and tell us why you believe it is not adequate.
• Do NOT include supporting documents or email attachments.
• Please allow sufficient time for us to evaluate your letter. We will try to respond to you in writing within 3-5 weeks.

Send requests for legal assistance to:

ACLU of South Carolina
P.O. Box 20998
Charleston, SC 29413
OR:  info@aclusouthcarolina.org

We cannot guarantee that we will take your case. If you have a legal claim, it will have a time deadline. In order to protect your rights, you should contact a private attorney right away.