A large portion of our practice is devoted to criminal defense. This includes the representation of college students within the City of Charleston Municipal Court and Charleston Magistrate Courts.
Charleston has long been known for it’s southern hospitality and has repeatedly been named America’s most “hospitable and friendliest city.” However, students who come to live in Charleston to attend college may be unaware of the fact that the underage drinking laws and open container laws are heavily enforced in downtown bars of the Holy City as well as at area beaches.
This leads to many tickets being issued for Minor in Possession and False ID. Students and young professionals who socialize downtown with friends may also find themselves being ticketed for Disorderly Conduct, Resisting Arrest or Public Drunk.
The Charleston ticket lawyers at Kulp & Elliott can assist student and their parents in navigating their way through the disposition of these charges with the least harmful repercussions to a young person’s future. Some considerations to keep in mind are:
- for parents who live out of town, receiving news that their child needs to attend court can be a worrying and daunting time. Mr. Kulp is also the parent of a College of Charleston student and can provide insight to other parents. We are around College students daily and are very familiar with student life in downtown Charleston. We are happy to video conference with parents who need their questions answered and their anxiety quelled.
- an arrest or citation can often result in a mandatory hearing with the Dean of Student’s office at the College of Charleston. If this is necessary we accompany our clients to such a meeting with the Dean.
- arrest details will appear on a background record until expunged. We will pursue an expungement of charges, if eligible.
Hire a lawyer before a ticket affects your academic future!
An arrest can affect a student’s ability to:
- lease an apartment
- apply for a job
- apply to graduate school
They are life savers.
“ I hired Mr. Kulp to help me take care of a disorderly conduct ticket this past year. I was arrested and this ticket could have potentially caused me to not be able to take national boards for the program I was attending. I was referred by a lawyer friend in Columbia, telling me he was the best. Mr. Kulp and his associate Austin Elliott were amazing. I sat down with Austin and he explained everything to me, with no sugar coating. He helped me to understand the situation, the potential options for how it would be handled and the possible outcomes. Throughout the process they kept me informed every step of the way. I had never been in trouble like this before, so I was constantly sending concerned emails, asking the same questions over and over, and I always received a prompt friendly response. In the end, they were able to get the ticket dismissed with the arrest being expunged from my SC record. I would absolutely recommend this law firm. They are non-judgmental, friendly, prompt and honest and did everything they could to help me. It is rare to be able to say that you have had a great experience when dealing with such a tough situation. “
* The Rules of Professional Conduct require disclosure that this is a “Testimonial” about the attorney. Please be aware that any result achieved on behalf of one client in one matter does not necessarily indicate similar results can be obtained for other clients.
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