Michael worked as an attorney at the Charleston County Public Defender’s Office for five years where he defended over 1,000 clients charged with General Sessions felonies and misdemeanors. Michael is also a graduate of the National Criminal Defense College Trial Practice Institute where he received intensive hands on trial training from the nation’s leading criminal defense experts. Over the years he has represented clients charged with nearly every offense you could imagine, including DUI, drug possession and distribution, assault and battery, domestic violence, shoplifting, fraud, kidnapping, armed robbery, burglary, and murder. Michael tried nearly twenty cases to jury verdict and has a winning trial record versus the State, also known as the Solicitor’s office. If you have been charged with a crime, let Michael put his significant experience with the Court and with the Solicitor’s office to work for you. Call us today at (843) 790-9388.
Driving under the influence in South Carolina can often be very hard for the State to prove. There are specific legal requirements that law enforcement must adhere to during the arrest and post-arrest procedure. The entire arrest must be on video, and the breath test must be administered within a specific time period after you are taken into custody. There are also ways to challenge the field sobriety test, including the horizontal gaze nystagmus test (HGN).
Perhaps you are asking, “Should I blow” when asked to provide a breath sample. Most of the time the answer is “no”, but there are so many ways that we have seen good people get tripped up during this process.
Loignon Law Firm has handled countless DUI cases for folks here in the Lowcountry, including first DUI’s all the way up to felony DUI where death results. If you have been charged with driving under the influence or driving with unlawful alcohol concentration (DUAC) in South Carolina, you need an experienced DUI lawyer like Loignon Law Firm to evaluate your case immediately and protect your rights.
Call (843) 790-9388 today to speak to Michael about your case
Loignon Law Firm has helped hundreds of clients charged with drug crimes in South Carolina achieve great outcomes. Whether you have been charged with simple possession, possession with intent to distribute (PWID), distribution, or trafficking, you can be sure that Loignon Law Firm has the knowledge and experience to investigate and defend your case. Whether it is challenging a search by police, investigating the methods used by a confidential informant, working with the Solicitor’s office to achieve an out-of-court solution, or taking your case to trial, Loignon Law Firm knows your rights and knows how to get you what you want.
South Carolina’s version of the “hand of one is the hand of all” doctrine has caught many good folks up in the justice system who have done nothing wrong. If you are in a house or a car where someone else has drugs, you could be charged with those drugs. Loignon Law Firm has helped countless clients charged under these old laws get their charges reduced or dismissed, and we will work to get you the result you deserve.
Call (843) 790-9388 today to speak to Michael about your case
Have you been charged with theft or a related offense in South Carolina such as shoplifting, embezzlement, forgery, fraud, larceny, motor vehicle theft, possession of stolen property, or property crime enhancement? Loignon Law Firm has helped hundreds of clients just like you to get the results they deserve.
Call (843) 790-9388 today to speak to Michael about your case
There are many defenses available to someone charged with assault and battery in Charleston, South Carolina. Having defended hundreds of clients charged with assault, Loignon Law Firm knows what it takes to fight the charges for you.
If you were acting in Self-Defense, you are Not Guilty. Loignon Law Firm has thoroughly investigated these cases, questioned witnesses, presented various legal defenses, and won in court over and over again. We are ready to defend you.
Call (843) 790-9388 today to speak to Michael about your case
Juveniles, or any person under the age of 17 in most cases, can be charged with crimes and status offenses in South Carolina. Juvenile status offenses include skipping school (truancy), running away from home, and inability of parents to control (incorrigibility). Juveniles can also be charged with the same crimes as adults but, the process is much different. Law Enforcement will take the juvenile into custody, petition the Family Court, and process them with the Department of Juvenile Justice (DJJ). Depending on the severity of the offense, the juvenile may be released to parents or may have to remain in DJJ custody until the charge is resolved. Loignon Law Firm has represented juveniles who have been charged with crimes and helped them get out of DJJ custody and back to their families.
College Students charged with underage drinking, using a fake ID, disorderly conduct, DUI, DUAC, or simple possession of marijuana should call Loignon Law Firm right away. Simply being charged with a crime as a student can have an impact on your status at your college. Regardless of what they tell you, do not speak to police or college administration without your attorney present. Loignon Law Firm will protect your rights and ensure that you are treated fairly by law enforcement and your college.
Call (843) 790-9388 today to speak to Michael about your case
There are two sides to every story, and often the police only hear one. There are many defenses available to you if you have been charged with domestic violence in Charleston, South Carolina. Loignon Law Firm has personally handled multiple cases in which someone was charged with domestic violence in Charleston when they were merely acting in self-defense. We have taken these cases to trial, and we have won.
Law Enforcement are often placed in an unenviable position of being forced to determine who the primary aggressor is in a domestic violence scenario. Department policy will often dictate that, even if the evidence is not strong, one of the parties must be arrested. If you have been arrested for domestic violence and want to challenge the evidence against you, you have Loignon Law Firm on your side.
Call (843) 790-9388 today to speak to Michael about your case
Loignon Law Firm has handled hundreds of cases involving violent crimes in South Carolina. Being charged with Assault and Battery of a High and Aggravated Nature (ABHAN), Robbery, Burglary, Kidnapping, Criminal Sexual Conduct, or Murder can be a very scary thing. Having worked with so many clients facing these issues, we know what you are going through and how it is hard to turn to others for support when they just don’t get it. Loignon Law Firm “gets it”. We are here to provide you not only the support you need to understand all the options and defenses available to you, but also to aggressively defend your case until we achieve the best resolution for you.
Call (843) 790-9388 today to speak to Michael about your case
If you have been charged with a probation violation you will be required to appear before a Circuit Court Judge who will decide whether to revoke your probation and send you to prison, or to continue you on probation. You will be standing in court on the other side from your probation officer who, most times, will be asking the Judge to extend your probation, impose additional conditions on your probation, or send you to prison. Do not stand up there alone. Michael has years of experience successfully handling probation violations, keeping clients on probation, and getting probation terminated.
Call us today at (843) 790-9388 to see if we can help.
The initial bond hearing is a critical stage of the criminal process since it is the first contact the defendant will have with the judicial branch. The defendant should have an attorney present to represent them at this hearing to ensure all of their rights are being explained and protected. Furthermore, an experienced bond court attorney knows how to prepare an effective presentation to highlight the reasons that the accused is not a flight risk, nor a danger to the community, and a reasonable bond should be set.
At Loignon Law Firm we have years of experience representing clients in bond hearings across the Lowcountry and getting outstanding results. If you or a loved one has been arrested, call (843) 790-9388 immediately for quick and effective bond court representation.
According to the South Carolina Department of Probation, Parole, Pardon Services November 2019 manual: generally, “a parolable violent crime requires service of one third of the sentence before being eligible for parole and non-violent crimes requires service of one-fourth of the sentence before being eligible for parole except for crimes with specific eligibility requirements and certain specific rules.”
“The law requires the right to be heard for parole if eligible and the right to waive such hearing; Fair written notice of the specific parole criteria, which are required to be established by the Parole Board under South Carolina law and which must be made available to all prisoners at the time of their incarceration; Fair written notice of the date, time, and place of the parole hearing; The opportunity to be heard by a fair and impartial Board or panel; The opportunity to present evidence and to have up to three witnesses to speak on their behalf, and to have the Board or panel carefully consider the complete record before, during, and after imprisonment; At the offender’s own expense, to have an attorney present at the hearing; When parole is denied, written notice of the Board’s reasons for denying parole.”
“At the hearing, the offender or offender’s counsel, if any, appears first and presents to the Board or panel. The Department of Corrections sets the limit for family members or other supporters appearing on behalf of the offender, however, the Board may limit the number of speakers. Members of the Board or the panel may ask questions of the offender and his witnesses. The Chair or the member presiding over the panel leads the questioning. Once the case has been presented, the offender is excused from the hearing room, and those appearing in opposition to parole are given their opportunity to be heard. After the witnesses in opposition are heard, they are excused from the hearing room, and the Board or the panel then deliberates. After deliberations, a voice and/or electronic vote is cast and documented. The offender and the other interested parties are informed of the decision by Department staff.”
YOUR ATTORNEY CAN PREPARE AN EFFECTIVE PRESENTATION TO THE BOARD. Call Loignon Law Firm at (843) 790-9388 to represent you at your parole hearing.
If you have been convicted of certain offenses in South Carolina you may be able to have that conviction erased from your criminal record so that it does not show up on a criminal background check. The law addresses specific circumstances and specific offenses which allow for an expungement. If you are eligible to have your criminal record expunged, there is a specific process that must be followed, to include filing of proper paperwork and the paying of certain fees to the Solicitor’s office, SLED, and the clerk of court.
Call Loignon Law Firm at (843) 790-9388 today to find out if your conviction is eligible for expungement and to see if we can handle all the leg work for you and get your criminal record cleared up.
One who has been convicted of a criminal offense in South Carolina and served their entire sentence, to include probation or parole, is generally eligible to request a pardon through the South Carolina Department of Probation, Parole, and Pardon services. A pardon represents forgiveness by the State for your crime and restore some civil rights you may have lost when convicted.
The pardon process can be complicated and difficult to achieve without proper counsel. There is a three-part application process and a hearing in front of the board where testimony is presented and arguments are made.
Call Loignon Law Firm at (843) 790-9388 to see if you are eligible for a pardon today.