If someone you know has been arrested in the Myrtle Beach area of South Carolina, you need to read this page:

Because the Myrtle Beach and Grand Strand areas of South Carolina are driven predominately by a tourist based economy, many of our clients are from out of town… this often presents a unique set of problems for those who have been arrested.  South Carolina (and local city) law is often vastly different from the law in the defendant’s home state.  Many times the client will tell me that his alleged infraction would be “no big deal” in his hometown.  However, once arrested here, he finds that he is being charged with a serious offense that carries with it jail time measured in decades instead of years or months.

My first piece of advice to anyone charged with a crime is simple:

Don’t make any statements to the police without the assistance of a competent attorney.

Unfortunately, by the time that they call me, it’s often too late for that advice.  When this happens, we immediately begin to do damage control.  For example, we may revoke any consent that the client has given for searches, assert his right to remain silent in order to prevent further police interviews, even recover property that has been seized by law enforcement.

You should absolutely hire an attorney right away.

Whether as a local resident or a visitor, the importance of competent representation can’t be overstated.  There are a myriad of rules, procedures, deadlines, laws, and even personalities that must be carefully navigated in order to properly protect a defendant.  Any one of which could be the hurdle that you can’t get over by yourself.  Get some help, do it now, before the help that you eventually get can’t repair your damaged case.  Almost every possible criminal charge that the government can bring on a citizen carries with it the risk of extended jail time and costly fines.  Once a defendant has a criminal record, that record follows him for the rest of his life.  Don’t wait to get help with your case.

Our initial goal is always to get the client out of jail quickly.

There are almost as many ways to get out of jail as there are to get in.  We assess each case carefully to determine what is in the client’s best interest, and work vigorously to get the client released.  Once our client has been released, usually on some type of bond, he can return to his home state until he is required to appear in court.  With the client out of jail, we can work directly with the client to begin to assess the merits of the case and start the building of a solid defense.

Call us for a honest evaluation of your case.

Our firm maintains a 24 hour emergency phone number that goes directly to an attorney.  The truth is that most of our criminal defense clients’ emergencies don’t occur during regular business hours.  By being able to speak to an attorney quickly, even after hours, many potential disasters can be averted (or at least minimized).  Our regular office phone is forwarded to an after-hours phone at the end of each business day.

We have many years of experience handling cases ranging from traffic tickets to murder, DUI to drug trafficking, in both State and Federal court.  If you are looking for the cheapest lawyer, you should look elsewhere.  We are going to charge a fair price which will allow us to get paid for the work that needs to be done on your case.  We won’t cut your case short, nor will we cut ourselves short by doing work that was not budgeted.  We will prepare your case as if it was our own, giving it the time and attention necessary to get the job done.  Anything less would be outside of our work ethic.

I believe that we can help you as we have helped many others who had been charged with a crime.  However, if we can’t, we will certainly refer you to someone who can.

Our law offices are located in downtown Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, and we have an attorney available for you 24 hours a day.

Call us for help at 843-445-9800.

See also: J. Reuben Long Detention Center (Get out of Jail)