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S.C. E-Filing Attorney Guide: ARG-06-Initiating a Case

ARG-06-Initiating a Case

activein force · 2026-10-02 – presentcompiled-edition

ARG-06: Initiating a Case

Attorney Reference Guide

2025 © South Carolina Judicial Branch 11/2025 1

Reference Guide Contents:

❖ Initiate a Case in E-Filing.............................................................................................................. 1

❖ Add Documents to the Filing........................................................................................................ 8

❖ Payment and Case Status......................................................................................................... 11

Initiate a Case in E-Filing

1. Log into E-Filing using your AIS User Name and Password. Click to acknowledge you

have read, understand and will comply with the redaction rules.

2. The Filer Interface will open. Click the New Case button on the Home screen.

ARG-06: Initiating a Case

Attorney Reference Guide

3. Select the County where you will be filing and click Next.

4. Select the Case Type. In this example, a Common Pleas (320) Motor Vehicle Accident will be

filed.

See the Attorney Reference Guide entitled Actions and Documents for a

Note complete listing of case types and subtypes.

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ARG-06: Initiating a Case

Attorney Reference Guide

5. Click to select the Case Subtype, which in this example is (320) Motor Vehicle Accident. The

Case Initiation screen opens for adding a plaintiff and defendant.

6. Click to select the Jury Demand option.

7. Click to choose the appropriate ADR option.

8. Click Add a Plaintiff.

2025 © South Carolina Judicial Branch 11/2025 3

ARG-06: Initiating a Case

Attorney Reference Guide

9. The Add a Party window opens. Choose the appropriate Person Type (Company or Person).

You must enter data for the fields designated with an asterisk. These required fields are First

Name and Last Name or Business Name.

10. Click Add to add any additional attorneys, such as co-counsel, if needed. Enter the last

name and the attorney's bar number, then click Add New Attorney.

11. Add additional information on this plaintiff for indexing purposes, if needed. For example, if the

named plaintiff is Barbara Adams d/b/a Acme, Inc., enter Acme Inc as shown.

12. Click Next, and the Case Initiation screen reopens.

Note

For a filing with multiple plaintiffs, you can now add a new plaintiff or use the Clone icon to add

a new plaintiff with the same last name and contact information.

2025 © South Carolina Judicial Branch 11/2025 4

ARG-06: Initiating a Case

Attorney Reference Guide

13. Click Add a Defendant to enter the defendant(s) on the case.

It is the attorney's responsibility to enter all plaintiffs and defendants

contained in the pleading.

The Save to Draft button appears on several screens and allows you to save the

information you have entered on your submission to this point. If you use the

Notes Back button, the information entered on the current screen is deleted.

Drafts are saved in the E-Filing System for 90 days.

2025 © South Carolina Judicial Branch 11/2025 5

ARG-06: Initiating a Case

Attorney Reference Guide

14. Choose the appropriate Person Type (Company or Person). You must enter data for the fields

designated with an asterisk. The required fields are First Name and Last Name or Business

Name.

15. Click Next when all information has been entered. The Case Initiation screen reopens.

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ARG-06: Initiating a Case

Attorney Reference Guide

16. Click Next to continue to the Add a Document screen.

2025 © South Carolina Judicial Branch 11/2025 7

ARG-06: Initiating a Case

Attorney Reference Guide

Add Documents to the Filing

1. Select an Action Type and an Action. It is very important to select the correct Action Type and

Action. See the Attorney Reference Guide entitled Initial Actions or Training Video entitled Case

Types, Subtypes and Initial Actions for more information.

2. Click Choose File to locate your document.

3. Click Add and the document is placed in the grid. (The form.xml file is automatically generated

and contains code needed by the E-Filing System.)

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ARG-06: Initiating a Case

Attorney Reference Guide

4. Select the case party or parties that this document is being filed On Behalf of. For multiple

plaintiffs, you can select All My Parties, and all your case parties are added to this filing.

5. Click Add to add the case party name(s).

Click +/- to Show/Hide Participants information. Click the red to remove an On

Note Behalf of case party. You can then select another case party. You can also click the

to delete the Document, and click the to return to the previous screen and

edit the data, if necessary.

6. Click Next, and the Review and Approve Filing screen opens.

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ARG-06: Initiating a Case

Attorney Reference Guide

7. Add a Client # (optional). This number is not used by the court but will assist you in tracking

your filings.

8. Select the Payment on behalf of case party. Payments must be made on behalf of one of the

case parties.

You must indicate the case party on whose behalf you are making the payment. If

you represent multiple plaintiffs, you can only choose one of the plaintiffs in this

Note field, even though you are filing on behalf of all of them. There is no legal effect

from this; it is simply required by the trial court case management system and

used by the clerk of court to record your payment.

9. Cover letters are no longer needed, if you need to communicate with the clerk you can utilize

the Special Filing Instructions for the Clerk text box.

10. Click Submit the Filing, and a message prompt opens.

ARG-06: Initiating a Case

Attorney Reference Guide

11. Click OK to continue and open the first payment screen. If you click Cancel, the Review and

Approve Filing screen remains open. You can make changes as needed and click Submit the

Filing when you are ready to continue.

Payment and Case Status

1. Select Payment Type.

2. Click Next.

ARG-06: Initiating a Case

Attorney Reference Guide

3. Verify the information is correct.

4. Click Next.

ARG-06: Initiating a Case

Attorney Reference Guide

5. Enter Payment Information.

6. Click Next.

ARG-06: Initiating a Case

Attorney Reference Guide

7. Click Submit Payment.

ARG-06: Initiating a Case

Attorney Reference Guide

8. Review the Payment Receipt Confirmation screen. Print the receipt for your files, if needed.

9. Click Continue to return to E-Filing.

ARG-06: Initiating a Case

Attorney Reference Guide

10. Filing 7528100 has been received by the court but has not yet been accepted.

11. To check on the latest status of your filing, refresh the page by clicking Go.

Note

Refer to My Filings page for the status of your case.

Provenance

Source: www.sccourts.org
Retrieved: 2026-10-02
Edition: supplied-sc-08-08-arg-06-initiating-a-case-2026-10-02
Content hash: da674bf06d2e7bcf9efd95a3602e118f3af53116a4d92c763703a81081f01fe5

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