Closing Date: 28th October, 2026
Description:
Job Responsibilities:This is a South Carolina Department of Social Services Internal Position. Only current South Carolina Department of Social Services employees are eligible for this position.
Do you have a passion to provide meaningful contributions to your community? Would you like to be part of an organization whose central mission is helping to protect, stabilize and strengthen the lives of South Carolina's children, families, and vulnerable adults? If so, the SC Department of Social Services has the right job opportunity for you!
Job Duties:
- The Attorney IV, under general supervision, provides professional legal services and representation for assigned county offices and regional adoption offices, including representation in Family Court on issues relative to child protection, foster care, adoption, adult protection and economic services. Manages one of the largest teams of DSS Family Court litigation attorneys in the State to achieve case progression and timely permanency for children.
- Provides management and leadership for a large and high-volume metro-area legal office with a team of attorneys and paralegals, including oversight of paralegals and attorneys to achieve effective office performance. Provides oversight regarding office protocol and information systems. Provides leadership in developing effective interoffice collaboration and relationships with human services staff and community partners. Serves as a liaison and problem-solves issues with court personnel, human services staff, other program areas and the Legal Department. Responsible for ensuring proper utilization of all office systems; administrative duties of the office; overseeing the office staff; and coordination and monitoring legal activities. Communicates with human services leaders and staff. Implements logistics solutions between legal staff and human services staff. Monitors the status of pending matters. Follows up on Permanency Planning and Termination of Parental Rights hearings, keeps attorneys and human services staff informed of progress.
- Manages work flow for timeliness and statutory compliance. Monitors Title IV-E activity ensuring the legal department has timely and adequately complied with laws, policy, and statutes in timely delivering the required Orders to Judges and all other parties and case managers within twenty (20) days of the decision.
- Represents the agency in all matters pertaining to emergency or non-emergency removal of children and vulnerable adults, termination of parental rights, inspection warrants, in-home protective services, permanency planning, judicial review of children or adults receiving services and any appeals resulting from such actions. Timely prepares, files, and serves or ensures the timely preparation, filing and service of all pleadings, motions, Orders, notices, rules to show cause and other court documents related to representation of the agency.
- Effectively trains support staff in the use of office systems, maintenance, protocols, scheduling, and docketing procedures. Utilizes LCMS and CAPSS and monitors progress. Tracks Court Information Summaries, scheduling, supply management, office staffing, and human resources functions for all administrative support staff, paralegals and attorneys; assigns follow-up duties to ensure timely compliance.
- Assumes circuit-wide and county-wide responsibility for ensuring good working relationship and communications between county legal office(s) and other system stakeholders. Ensures that an effective system of regular and ongoing legal trainings for human services staff is carried out.
- Utilizes and ensures the utilization of the Legal Case Management System (LCMS) for legal operations and documentation of legal activity in cases. Ensures LCMS compliance, obtains and provides feedback for improvement of LCMS. Ensures that new employees receive appropriate and timely training in LCMS.
- Ensures that personal identifying information (Pll) is properly used, accessed, gathered, shared and disposed. Protects the Agency networks and applications by safeguarding systems, equipment and data.
- Performs other duties as assigned or required.
Minimum and Additional Requirements:
A Juris Doctor Degree or its equivalent from an accredited law school and eight (8) years experience as a practicing attorney or three (3) years of experience as a DSS attorney.
Necessary Special Requirement: Must be a member of the SC BAR.
Special Notice: Resumes may be submitted in lieu of filling out the work experience of the online application. The following sections are required for consideration: personal information, preferences, agency-wide questions and job specific supplemental questions.
Additional Comments:
This application for employment with the SC Department of Social Services must be completed in its entirety. A resume may be included; but shall not be substituted in lieu of the completion of this application in part or in whole. "See Resume" is not acceptable information for the completion of any part of the requirements of this application. If such is submitted, this employment application will be considered incomplete and may not be forwarded as eligible for consideration to hiring managers.
Must possess a valid driver's license. The employee must be able to communicate effectively (written and orally) and write legibly. May be required to work after hours and/or some overnight travel and must be able to lift approximately 15-20 lbs.
If you certify, by completion and submission of this application, that you possess educational credentials that qualify you for the available DSS positions, you will be required to provide a certified official transcript, if you are selected for job offer.