Legal Question in Criminal Law in South Carolina

Re: crime

A person accused of a crime always has a right to an attorney. Period.

The question becomes, when would the individual have a right to an appointed attorney in the event that they cannot afford one. That's become a rather confusing issue these days. States vary on how they deal with this. For South Carolina, most any case in Magistrates Court or any City Court, which handle misdemeanors and traffic offenses, for the most part do not afford a free lawyer to a defendant. In General Sessions, which is the State Court, most of what is handled there are felonies and crimes that carry potential jail sentences in excess of one year. There are exceptions to all of this.

If you email me and tell me what the charge is and if it is a first offense, second offense, etc., then I can probably tell you specifically. [email protected]

Robert Johnston