A decision of the department, in the absence of an appeal from it as provided in this article, becomes final ten days after the date of notification or mailing of it, and judicial review is permitted only after a party claiming to be aggrieved by it has exhausted his administrative remedies as provided by Chapters 27 through 41 of this title. The department must be considered to be a party to a judicial action involving a decision and may be represented in the judicial action by a qualified attorney employed by the department and designated by the department for that purpose or, at the department's request, by the Attorney General.
S.C. Code § 41-35-740