Private-client counsel in South of BroadCharleston, SC
Law Offices of Gedney M. Howe IV serves South of Broad and the surrounding area.
Clients across South of Broad rely on Law Offices of Gedney M. Howe IV for dependable, professional service.
The whole practice, close to home.
Every practice area is available to South of Broad clients — drafted by a partner, with home and evening appointments arranged whenever your own table is the easier place to plan.
- Free ConsultationExpert free consultation in Charleston. Licensed, insured, upfront pricing.
- Personal InjuryExpert personal injury in Charleston. Licensed, insured, upfront pricing.
- Family LawExpert family law in Charleston. Licensed, insured, upfront pricing.
- Estate PlanningExpert estate planning in Charleston. Licensed, insured, upfront pricing.
- Business LawExpert business law in Charleston. Licensed, insured, upfront pricing.
- Real Estate LawExpert real estate law in Charleston. Licensed, insured, upfront pricing.
- Criminal DefenseExpert criminal defense in Charleston. Licensed, insured, upfront pricing.
- ImmigrationExpert immigration in Charleston. Licensed, insured, upfront pricing.
- Contract ReviewExpert contract review in Charleston. Licensed, insured, upfront pricing.
Other places we serve.
- CharlestonLaw Offices of Gedney M. Howe IV serves Charleston and the surrounding area.
- North CharlestonLaw Offices of Gedney M. Howe IV serves North Charleston and the surrounding area.
- James Island PleasantLaw Offices of Gedney M. Howe IV serves James Island Pleasant and the surrounding area.
- West AshleyLaw Offices of Gedney M. Howe IV serves West Ashley and the surrounding area.
- SummervilleLaw Offices of Gedney M. Howe IV serves Summerville and the surrounding area.
- Goose CreekLaw Offices of Gedney M. Howe IV serves Goose Creek and the surrounding area.
If a crash, a fall, or a medical error upends life on South of Broad, the first need is a Charleston personal injury lawyer who will screen the claim, explain the personal injury settlement process, and say whether the file belongs in court. Law Offices of Gedney M. Howe IV meets clients from 8 Chalmers Street, close enough that a South of Broad resident can sit down in person instead of cycling through a script. The free consultation is a case-fit talk—deadlines, insurance coverage, and next steps. It is not free drafting of a contract or a demand letter.
South of Broad sits against the French Quarter, Harleston Village, and Ansonborough, with daily travel toward James Island Pleasant, West Ashley, and James Island. Neighbors in those pockets face the same adjusters after auto and truck collisions, premises liability, and catastrophic harm. The firm concentrates on complex injury: admiralty, amputation, medical malpractice, products liability, state and federal tort claims, traumatic brain injury, wrongful death, and matters involving paralysis or electrocution. Local attorneys send the hardest of those files here.
The practice began with Gedney M. Howe Jr.; a statue of him still stands outside the Charleston Courthouse. Gedney M. Howe III continued the work, and Gedney M. Howe IV leads it now, with Alvin J. Hammer, who is AV rated by Martindale Hubbell, and Michael A. Monastra. The office has served South Carolina residents since 1937. Online appointments, onsite meetings, a wheelchair accessible entrance, parking, and restroom, plus free lot and street parking, are available. Honesty, scholarship, and one-on-one guidance from the first meeting through resolution are the operating rules—not billboard branding stretched across the state.
How we work in South of Broad
Free Consultation
A South of Broad resident who calls (843) 722-8048 gets a case screening, not a sales hour labeled as free legal advice. You leave knowing whether the matter fits, what paid work would start, and which deadlines cannot wait. If the file is not a match, that is said on the call.
Personal Injury
Catastrophic injury on or near South of Broad—auto and trucking accidents, premises and products liability, medical malpractice, traumatic brain injury, amputation, admiralty, or wrongful death—is the core of the practice. Investigation and analysis come first; litigation follows when the record requires it. A written fee agreement explains contingency fee structure, case costs, and medical liens before engagement.
Family Law
Family Court matters for South of Broad households—divorce, custody, child support, alimony, dissolution—move on local procedure that generic guides miss. The first conversation maps conflict level, discovery depth, and whether a limited scope or a fuller retainer makes sense. Phased work can pause when the dispute cools; irreversible orders are the reason not to treat this as a form kit.
Estate Planning
Wills, succession, and related planning for South of Broad families are handled as paid legal work after the consult confirms what documents are actually needed. Nearby French Quarter and Harleston Village households often share the same questions about who speaks if someone cannot. Nothing is signed until the scope is in writing.
Business Law
A business lawyer for a South of Broad owner is useful when a contract, a partner dispute, or a civil claim is already in motion—not as a slogan. The firm has recovered in breach of contract and civil rights matters and will say when a file is too small, too specialized, or better referred. Paid work begins after the screening, not during it.
Real Estate Law
Real estate legal services for South of Broad buyers, sellers, and owners cover closings, title questions, and disputes that sit next to Harleston Village and Ansonborough streets. The consult identifies whether you need a review, a negotiation, or a lawsuit. Dollar figures are not quoted from a web page; drivers of cost are named in the meeting.
Criminal Defense
A charge that starts in Charleston and follows a South of Broad resident home is screened for fit, forum, and whether counsel should enter before the next date. This is not a volume plea mill pitch. If the matter belongs with a different kind of defender, that is the advice you should hear first.
Immigration
Immigration questions from South of Broad households are treated as eligibility and process issues, not promises of status. The consult sorts what the firm can handle versus what a specialized migration lawyer should take after a disappointing generalist meeting. Paid filings start only after that line is clear.
Contract Review
Contract review for a South of Broad client is paid work. The free consultation vs paid consultation line is simple: the first call decides whether the document is worth a lawyer’s hours; the hours themselves are not free. You get a written scope before anyone marks up the pages.
South of Broad questions, answered
What does a free consultation actually include if I live on South of Broad?
It is a case-fit and next-steps conversation: facts, deadlines, insurance coverage, and whether the firm should take the file. It does not include drafting a demand letter, rewriting a contract, or free courtroom strategy. Paid work is named before it starts.
If insurance already accepted liability after a crash near South of Broad, do I still need a lawyer?
Acceptance of fault is not the same as a full accounting of medical care, future limits, and liens. Early offers often price the obvious bills and skip the rest. A consult compares documented damages with the offer; it does not guarantee a higher payout.
How do contingency fees, medical liens, and case costs change what I take home?
On a contingency matter, attorney fees, case costs (sometimes called disbursements), and medical liens all come out of the settlement before net proceeds reach you. Order matters—whether the percentage comes off before or after costs changes the check. You should see that math in a written fee agreement, not in a slogan about no win no fee.
How can I tell this is a real case screening and not a sales call?
A real screen asks about liability, injuries, insurance, and deadlines, and it will decline work that does not fit. A sales call only talks about how easy the process will feel. Ask where free talk stops and what you would pay for next; the answer should be specific.
Whether at our table or yours, South of Broad counsel is a call away.
One unhurried hour with a partner — a plain reading of where you stand, and a written fee if you would like our help.
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