Associate Counsel

The Associate Counsel provides foundational legal support to the State Association of Realtors, its executive leadership, and its members. This entry-level staff attorney position focuses heavily on managing the member Legal Hotline, conducting legal research on emerging real estate trends, and reviewing standard forms. This is an exceptional opportunity for a recent law graduate looking to build an in-house career in real estate law, compliance, and trade association governance.

Reports To

Chief Legal Counsel / General Counsel

Key Responsibilities

• Member Legal Hotline Management: Act as the primary point of contact for real estate agents and brokers across the state regarding standard legal inquiries, compliance, and transaction-related questions.
• Standard Forms Review: Assist in maintaining, editing, and updating the association’s Standard Forms Library to ensure compliance with changing state laws and National Association of Realtors (NAR) regulations.
• Professional Standards Enforcement: Assist in administering the association’s professional standards processes, including reviewing ethics complaints, coordinating arbitration filings, and advising grievance panels.
• In-Person Forms & Ethics Training: Develop curriculum and travel statewide to deliver dynamic, in-person training sessions on proper contract form usage, legal risk reduction, and the NAR Code of Ethics.
• Legal Research & Writing: Conduct thorough legal research on real estate litigation, environmental regulations, housing laws, and zoning ordinances. Draft articles and compliance updates for member outreach.

Qualifications & Skills

• Education: Juris Doctor (J.D.) degree from an accredited law school.
• Licensure: Newly admitted to the State Bar, or awaiting bar exam results (contingent upon passing within a designated timeframe).
• Experience: 0–2 years of experience; clinical experience or internships in real estate law, contract drafting, or corporate governance are a major plus.
• Key Skills:
  • Public Speaking: Confident and engaging presentation skills for delivering in-person educational training to large groups of realtors.
  • Strong interpersonal skills with a "customer-service" mindset to interact patiently and professionally with members.
  • Exceptional written and verbal communication skills.
  • Proficiency in legal research tools (Westlaw).
  • Ability to translate complex statutory law and ethics rules into practical, everyday advice for non-attorney members.
  • Willingness to travel statewide for training presentations as required.

Equal Opportunity Employer SC REALTORS® is an equal opportunity employer committed to fostering a diverse, equitable, and inclusive work environment. All employment decisions at SC REALTORS®—including hiring, promotion, discipline, compensation, benefits, training, and termination—are based on business needs, job requirements, and individual qualifications.

We strictly prohibit discrimination and harassment of any kind based on race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions), sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, age, disability, genetic information, military or veteran status, marital status, or any other status protected by federal, state, or local laws in South Carolina.