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Service AreaIndex of Places · North Charleston

Private-client counsel in North CharlestonCharleston, SC

Law Offices of Gedney M. Howe IV serves North Charleston and the surrounding area.

Book a Consultation (843) 722-8048

Clients across North Charleston rely on Law Offices of Gedney M. Howe IV for dependable, professional service.

Part IFor North Charleston Families

The whole practice, close to home.

Every practice area is available to North Charleston clients — drafted by a partner, with home and evening appointments arranged whenever your own table is the easier place to plan.

Part IIAcross Greater Charleston

Other places we serve.

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North Charleston residents looking for a lawyer after a wreck, a work injury, or a Family Court fight do not need a second downtown myth. Law Offices of Gedney M. Howe IV is a Charleston firm at 8 Chalmers Street that takes North Charleston matters, including people in Park Circle, Deer Park, Windsor Hill, Ferndale, Liberty Hill, and Mixson. The first sit-down is a free consultation meant to test case fit, not to sell a package.

Trucking and auto collisions, premises claims, and other personal injury files are a core of the practice, along with admiralty, medical malpractice, products liability, traumatic brain injury, and wrongful death. When the injury is an amputation, electrocution, paralysis, or a brain injury that will follow someone for life, the firm’s habit is investigation before anyone talks courtroom theater. Goose Creek, Summerville, Berkeley County, and Dorchester County sit next door on the map. North Charleston is often where the crash or the job site actually was.

This is a small firm other local attorneys call on for complex personal injury. Gedney M. Howe IV continues a three-generation Lowcountry practice with Alvin J. Hammer and Michael A. Monastra. Lisa K wrote that they treat you like family, return calls or texts, and answer questions with no hesitation no matter the time. Parking at the Charleston office is free on the lot and the street. Wheelchair accessible parking and restrooms are part of that visit. Come with the police report, the claim number, and the question you actually need answered.

How we work in North Charleston

  • Free Consultation

    For a North Charleston caller, a free consultation vs paid consultation split is simple. Screening is free. Advice that becomes a letter, a filing, or a negotiation is not. If the first call feels like a sales script with no talk of deadlines or case problems, that is a red flag you can name out loud and walk away from.

  • Personal Injury

    Personal injury for North Charleston often starts on a highway, a job site, or a parking lot, then turns into an insurance file. Auto and truck collisions, work injuries, premises liability, and products claims are in this firm’s mix. Hiring counsel is worth a conversation when medical care is ongoing or the offer arrived before anyone measured future limits. It is not automatic for every fender-bender.

  • Family Law

    North Charleston family lawyers get asked about divorce, custody, child support, and alimony because those are the Family Court fights people actually live. Cost follows conflict, discovery, and emergency motions, not the city name on the petition. Upfront fee talk on the first call is reasonable to ask for. A free consult can map a limited-scope start if a full retainer is more than the household can float.

  • Estate Planning

    Estate planning after a North Charleston death or a sudden disability is slower work than an injury claim, and it is billed as legal services, not as a free add-on. If a catastrophic injury created the need to rewrite who decides medical and money questions, say that in the consult so the firm can point you to the right track first.

  • Business Law

    A North Charleston shop, contractor, or small company usually calls a business lawyer when a contract has already gone sour or a payment has stopped. The consult tests whether this firm should take the dispute. Drafting, demand work, and court time are engagement work. Breach of contract is among the results the firm has been known for. That is not a promise on your facts.

  • Real Estate Law

    Real estate lawyer questions from North Charleston range from a purchase contract to a fight after closing. Title, repairs, and deposit disputes are document-driven. Bring the contract to the screening. Do not expect a free markup in the first hour. Paid review is how the paper actually gets read line by line.

  • Criminal Defense

    A North Charleston arrest or charge needs its own lawyer track, even if a crash or a family dispute sits underneath it. The consult can identify the next court date and whether the firm will appear. It will not argue the case in that first conversation, and it will not quote a trial-day price that was never given.

  • Immigration

    Immigration help for North Charleston households is screened for whether the firm can handle the filing or hearing you actually have. Status, work, and family petitions are not solved in a free consult. If the better fit is a specialized immigration lawyer, a honest screening should say so rather than keep you in a generalist queue.

  • Contract Review

    Contract review for a North Charleston lease, vendor deal, or release is hourly or flat paid work after you hire the firm. A free consultation can tell you if the document is even something they will touch. It should not be treated as unpaid legal advice on the whole stack.

North Charleston questions, answered

Can a North Charleston injury case be handled if the office is in Charleston?

Yes. The firm’s office is at 8 Chalmers Street in Charleston, and it serves North Charleston, including Park Circle and nearby neighborhoods. Onsite services and online appointments are available. The consult is still a screening. Travel to Chalmers Street is common. Ask on the call if another meeting setup is possible.

How can I tell a real case screening from a sales call labeled as a free consult?

A real screening talks about facts, deadlines, problems with the claim, and whether the firm will decline the file. A sales call skips those and pushes a sign-up. Fran Grather described a team that was professional, responsive, and truly caring from the first reach-out. You should feel guided, not herded.

If I cannot afford a lawyer up front after a North Charleston wreck, what fee models exist?

Personal injury is often a contingency fee. Family and other hourly matters may use a retainer, limited scope, or a payment plan if the firm offers one. None of those is a promise of a result, and no rate belongs on this page because the firm has not published one here. Get the fee in writing before you engage.

Should contingency percentage come out before or after case costs?

That order is in the written fee agreement, and it changes net proceeds. Medical liens and disbursements still reduce what you take home either way. Ask for the math on a sample recovery in the consult. Do not sign until the sequence is in plain language.

Whether at our table or yours, North Charleston 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.

Book a Consultation Call (843) 722-8048

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