The Professional Corporations Supplement defines what new businesses should or may be incorporated as professional corporations: The SC Code defines "professional service" as:
...a service that may be rendered lawfully only by a person licensed or otherwise authorized by a licensing authority in this State to render the service and that may not be lawfully rendered by a corporation...
...a corporation may elect professional corporation status...solely for the rendering of professional services, including services ancillary to them, within a single profession.
There is no provision in the SC Code specifically authorizing any professions (lawyers, doctors, accountants, etc.) to practice their professions through a professional corporation. However, any profession seeking to organize and operating through an entity that is not a professional entity should thoroughly review Title 40 which lays out which professions must practice in the professional corporation format. Title 40 is not uniformly specific as to what professions and occupations may not be practiced through a "regular" corporation. For example, attorneys or lawyers in South Carolin may not practice law through a regular corporation.
Professional Corporation Designation
The professional corporation is required to specify that it is a professional corporation by having one of the following designations:
» professional corporation
» professional association
» service corporation
» chartered
» P.C.
» PC
» P.A.
» PA
Additionally, it is common for a professional corporation to use the personal name of a shareholder or former shareholder of the professional corporation even though other provisions of the "regular" corporation law may prohibit such use. For example, John Rivers, DMD, PC may incorporate as a professional corporation even though there might be another dentist professional incorporated under the identical name.