Terrence R. Real received his bachelor’s degree in English from Kent State University in 1973 and his master’s degree in English from the University of Chicago in 1974. He worked as a newsletter reporter and legislative assistant in Washington, D.C. and then attended the Georgetown University Law Center, where he received his law degree in 1981.

He has experience in both public and private practice, having worked for the New York City Department of Law, the New York City Legal Aid Society, and Connecticut Legal Services as well as for a private law firm in New Haven, Connecticut. He and his family relocated to South Carolina to enjoy the warmth and beauty of the Lowcountry, and he is now a member of the South Carolina Bar.