Chief Legal Counsel

Job Responsibilities

The South Carolina Department of Commerce seeks a highly experienced, practical, and strategic attorney to serve as Chief Legal Counsel. This position provides a unique opportunity to help shape South Carolina's economic future.

• Serves as the chief legal advisor to the Secretary, Deputy Secretary, executive leadership team, and agency divisions on legal matters affecting agency operations, economic development strategy, governance, compliance, transactions, public policy, and enterprise risk.
• Provides practical, timely, and business-minded legal guidance that supports the agency’s mission while protecting the legal, financial, operational, and reputational interests of the State.
• Advises agency leadership on matters involving statutory authority, agency discretion, confidentiality, ethics, public accountability, interagency coordination, public-sector approvals, and appropriate decision-making processes.
• Consults with Human Resources regarding matters pertaining to personnel decisions, workplace policies, and administrative guidance.
• Provides legal review and guidance on economic development projects, incentive agreements, grant agreements, infrastructure matters, project commitments, confidentiality agreements, nondisclosure agreements, public finance matters, ED Bonds, qualifying projects, closing documents, and related transaction materials.
• Works with project managers, incentives staff, finance staff, grants staff, community development staff, local governments, and external partners to ensure project-related commitments are legally supportable, clearly documented, properly authorized, and consistent with applicable law and agency policy.
• Provides or coordinates legal support, as appropriate, for the Coordinating Council for Economic Development, the South Carolina Rural Infrastructure Authority, Palmetto Railways, and other affiliated, related, or supported entities.
• Advises on Coordinating Council matters, including grant applications, Enterprise Program applications, state ceiling allocation petitions, contractual matters, policy issues, agenda items, board or council actions, statutory authority, and compliance requirements.
• Oversees legal review of agency contracts, procurement matters, professional service agreements, interagency agreements, memoranda of understanding, partnership agreements, leases, amendments, vendor disputes, and other binding instruments.
• Advises on governance, ethics, public records, public meetings, confidentiality, records retention, internal controls, delegation authority, approval pathways, legislative oversight, audit activity, and other public accountability matters.
• Oversees and coordinates the agency’s response to Freedom of Information Act requests and other public records matters, including matters involving confidential economic development information, project-sensitive information, exemptions, legal privileges, and disclosure obligations.
• Maintains effective working relationships with outside counsel, the Attorney General’s Office, staff of the Joint Bond Review Committee, the State Fiscal Accountability Authority, local governments, and other public entities whose review, approval, or coordination may be necessary for agency projects, transactions, or legal matters.
• Leads the agency’s legal function, including supervision of one (1) legal staff or shared legal resources, assignment and prioritization of legal work, management of outside counsel, staff development, performance management, and improvement of legal intake, documentation, templates, workflows, and escalation processes.
• Develops practical tools, templates, guidance, protocols, and internal processes to help agency staff understand legal requirements, improve consistency, support timely decision-making, and reduce preventable legal risk.

Required Knowledge, Skills, And Abilities

• Strong knowledge of public sector law, administrative law, contracts, procurement, ethics, public records, public meetings, confidentiality, governance, compliance, and risk management.
• Knowledge of economic development project structures, incentive programs, grant administration, public finance tools, bond-related approvals, state ceiling allocation processes, infrastructure agreements, and related statutory requirements.
• Ability to advise senior executives, public bodies, agency divisions, and affiliated entities on sensitive matters involving confidentiality, transparency, ethics, statutory authority, political visibility, public accountability, and reputational risk.
• Ability to manage multiple high-priority legal matters, stakeholders, and competing interests in a fast-paced executive environment.
• Excellent communication, negotiation, drafting, analytical, and problem-solving skills, with the ability to explain complex legal issues to diverse audiences.
• Demonstrated judgment, integrity, discretion, and the ability to develop practical, legally sound solutions that advance organizational objectives.

Minimum And Additional Requirements

• Juris Doctor degree from an accredited law school.
• Active license to practice law and good standing with the South Carolina Bar, or eligibility to obtain admission within a defined period after appointment.
• Significant experience practicing law in a public sector, corporate, economic development, government affairs, transactional, administrative, regulatory, public finance, or related environment.
• Experience advising senior executives, elected officials, public boards, governmental entities, corporations, authorities, or complex organizations.
• Experience drafting, reviewing, and negotiating complex agreements.
• Experience managing sensitive, confidential, high-profile, or time-sensitive legal matters.
• Experience providing legal advice involving contracts, statutory interpretation, public-sector compliance, governance, risk management, or administrative matters.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience working within or in collaboration with one or more of the following entities: a state agency, cabinet agency, public authority, economic development organization, attorney general’s office, governor’s office, legislative body, local government, or other quasi-governmental organization.
• Experience in economic development is preferred, particularly in areas such as incentives, grant agreements, infrastructure agreements, site development, public finance, tax incentives, bond-financed projects, workforce agreements, real estate, utilities, permitting, or business recruitment projects.
• Experience advising a public-sector entity, to include but not limited to, state agency, authority, coordinating council, public finance body, local government, or quasi-governmental entity on matters involving economic development incentives, bond-financed projects, grant programs, public infrastructure, contracts, procurement, public records, ethics, and intergovernmental approvals.
• Experience working with one or more of the following: advising boards, councils, authorities, commissions, or public financing bodies, including preparation of legal materials, meeting support, statutory compliance review, and documentation of official actions.
• Experience managing outside counsel and coordinating legal strategy across multiple public entities, affiliated organizations, and external stakeholders.
• Experience supervising attorneys, paralegals, legal support staff, or shared legal resources in a complex public-sector or enterprise environment.
• Familiarity with the balance between confidentiality in economic development and transparency obligations in public service.
• Experience with FOIA, public records, public meetings, procurement, ethics, administrative law, state budgeting, appropriations, or legislative processes.

Additional Comments

The South Carolina Department of Commerce offers an exceptional benefit package for full-time and temporary grant positions that include:

• Health, Dental, Vision, Long Term Disability, and Life Insurance for Employee, Spouse and Children.
• 15 days annual (vacation) leave per year.
• 15 days of sick leave per year.
• 13 paid holidays.
• State Retirement Pension and 401K Plans.
• Deferred Compensation Programs.
• Paid Parental Leave Benefits For State Employees.