David M. Ross is the Deputy Director of the Division of Legal Services and Compliance. He joined the S.C. Department of Juvenile Justice in November 2022. Prior to coming to SCDJJ, Ross served as the executive director of the South Carolina Bar. In that role, he oversaw daily operations and all strategic initiatives for the state’s legal professional organization that has more than 17,000 attorney members. Before taking over leadership of the South Carolina Bar in May 2018, Ross served as executive director of the SC Commission on Prosecution Coordination, the state agency that coordinates administrative activities that involve the prosecution of South Carolina criminal cases.
Prior to his role at the Commission, Ross had a 17-year career as a solicitor, working in Oconee, Anderson, Greenville, Kershaw and Richland counties. Ross began his legal career as a law clerk to the now retired Circuit Court Judge H. Dean Hall. A native South Carolinian, Ross received his B.S. degree from the University of South Carolina in 1988 and his J.D. from the University of South Carolina School of Law in 1991.
Division of Legal Standards and Compliance
The Office of Legal Standards and Compliance is comprised of General Counsel and staff, Staff Development & Training, Office of Planning and Accountability and Standards Management. Staff Development & Training is responsible for the essential functions of assessing, identifying, planning, coordinating, implementing, and delivering agency training and development programs for all staff at the agency. The Office of Standards and Professional Development works to foster an agency-wide culture that is fully committed to policy and procedure compliance, promoting accountability and consistency across all divisions, and most importantly ensuring that DJJ provides service excellence for the youth in our care and their families. Standards Management encompasses the areas of Performance-based Standards (PbS) and the Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA). The legislative liaison also report to this division.