74/100LFR Score
Ranked #1 because of its Google rating and practice area focus: 5.0★ from 530 Google reviews, listed on Google as “Criminal justice attorney”.
Emergency Criminal Defense Lawyers in Charleston, SC (2026)
Top 50 of 107 criminal defense lawyers, in emergency orderUpdated 0 paid placements in this rankingHow we rank
25 of the 50 criminal defense lawyers on this list post 24/7 hours. 24/7 law firms come first, then same-day, each ranked by LFR Score with availability weighted higher.
If you or someone you know is arrested: you can stay silent and ask for a lawyer before answering questions. Calls from jail are usually recorded, so do not discuss the facts of the case on them.
The short answer
- 1
#1 for emergency criminal defense in Charleston: Sahn Law Firm - Attorneys at Law, open 24/7.
Rankings can't be bought. Lawyers can't pay to change their rank or score. How we rank
Top emergency criminal defense lawyers in Charleston at a glance
Ranked by our published LFR Score from public data, not by payment; a rank is not an endorsement or a prediction of results.
| Rank | Business | LFR Score | Google rating | Based in | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sahn Law Firm - Attorneys at Law | 74 | 5.0★ (530) | Charleston | Open 24 hrs (Google) |
| 2 | John W. Molony Law Firm, LLC | 74 | 5.0★ (460) | Charleston | Open 24 hrs (Google) |
| 3 | J. Brooks Davis Law Firm | 73 | 5.0★ (248) | Charleston | Open 24 hrs (Google) |
| 4 | South Carolina Criminal Law | 73 | 5.0★ (242) | Charleston | Open 24 hrs (Google) |
| 5 | Young & Young, Attorneys at Law | 71 | 5.0★ (123) | Charleston | Open 24 hrs (Google) |
| 6 | Adams & Bischoff | 71 | 5.0★ (82) | Charleston | Open 24 hrs (Google) |
| 7 | Charlie Condon Law Firm, LLC | 70 | 5.0★ (85) | Mount Pleasant, 4 mi away | Open 24 hrs (Google) |
| 8 | Joe Good, Attorney at Law | 69 | 5.0★ (67) | Mount Pleasant, 3 mi away | Open 24 hrs (Google) |
| 9 | South Carolina Criminal Law: Dayne Phillips | 68 | 5.0★ (62) | North Charleston, 10 mi away | Open 24 hrs (Google) |
| 10 | Charleston DUI Guy | 66 | 5.0★ (6) | Charleston | Open 24 hrs (Google) |
Call an emergency criminal defense lawyer in Charleston now
24-hour hours mean the firm lists itself as open around the clock on Google; that does not show its phone is answered. A lawyer may not be able to visit a jail or appear in court the same day: ask what they can do now and what it costs before you agree.
- #1Call (843) 856-2222
#1Sahn Law Firm - Attorneys at Law
Open 24/7 · 5.0 from 530 Google reviews
- #2Call (843) 762-5732
#2John W. Molony Law Firm, LLC
Open 24/7 · 5.0 from 460 Google reviews
- #3Call (843) 225-2255
Open 24/7 · 5.0 from 248 Google reviews
- #4Call (843) 874-6127
Open 24/7 · 5.0 from 242 Google reviews
- #5Call (843) 619-7755
#5Young & Young, Attorneys at Law
Open 24/7 · 5.0 from 123 Google reviews
- #6Call (843) 417-9954
Open 24/7 · 5.0 from 82 Google reviews
- #7Call (843) 884-8146
#7Charlie Condon Law Firm, LLC
Open 24/7 · 5.0 from 85 Google reviews
- #8Call (843) 917-5298
Open 24/7 · 5.0 from 67 Google reviews
The 50 emergency criminal defense lawyers in Charleston, ranked
24/7 first, then same-day service, then the rest. Each group is in LFR Score order on emergency weights. The full ranking of all 107 is on the criminal defense lawyers page.
Ranked by our published LFR Score from public data, not by payment; a rank is not an endorsement or a prediction of results.
Scores below: based on 7 of 9 factors; bar status and recency not yet collected. Hatched segments mark factors we don't have yet.
Based in Charleston
74/100LFR ScoreRanked #2 because of its Google rating and practice area focus: 5.0★ from 460 Google reviews, listed on Google as “Criminal justice attorney”.
Based in Charleston
73/100LFR ScoreRanked #3 because of its Google rating and practice area focus: 5.0★ from 248 Google reviews, listed on Google as “Criminal justice attorney”.
Based in Charleston
73/100LFR ScoreRanked #4 because of its Google rating and practice area focus: 5.0★ from 242 Google reviews, listed on Google as “Criminal justice attorney”.
Based in Charleston
71/100LFR ScoreRanked #5 because of its Google rating and practice area focus: 5.0★ from 123 Google reviews, listed on Google as “Criminal justice attorney”.
Based in Charleston
71/100LFR ScoreRanked #6 because of its Google rating and practice area focus: 5.0★ from 82 Google reviews, listed on Google as “Criminal justice attorney”.
Based in Mount Pleasant, 4 mi away
70/100LFR ScoreRanked #7 because of its Google rating and practice area focus: 5.0★ from 85 Google reviews, listed on Google as “Criminal justice attorney”.
Based in Mount Pleasant, 3 mi away
69/100LFR ScoreRanked #8 because of its Google rating and practice area focus: 5.0★ from 67 Google reviews, listed on Google as “Criminal justice attorney”.
Based in North Charleston, 10 mi away
68/100LFR ScoreRanked #9 because of its Google rating and practice area focus: 5.0★ from 62 Google reviews, listed on Google as “Criminal justice attorney”.
Based in Charleston
66/100LFR ScoreRanked #10 because of its Google rating and practice area focus: 5.0★ from 6 Google reviews, listed on Google as “Criminal justice attorney”.
Based in North Charleston, 4 mi away
65/100LFR ScoreRanked #11 because of its Google rating and practice area focus: 5.0★ from 8 Google reviews, listed on Google as “Criminal justice attorney”.
Based in Charleston
65/100LFR ScoreRanked #12 because of its Google rating and practice area focus: 5.0★ from 4 Google reviews, listed on Google as “Criminal justice attorney”.
Based in Mount Pleasant, 11 mi away
65/100LFR ScoreRanked #13 because of its Google rating and practice area focus: 4.5★ from 15 Google reviews, listed on Google as “Criminal justice attorney”.
Based in Summerville, 22 mi away
64/100LFR ScoreRanked #14 because of its Google rating and practice area focus: 4.9★ from 32 Google reviews, listed on Google as “Criminal justice attorney”.
Based in Charleston
63/100LFR ScoreRanked #15 because of its Google rating and review volume: 5.0★ from 166 Google reviews.
Based in Charleston
62/100LFR ScoreRanked #16 because of its Google rating and review volume: 4.9★ from 161 Google reviews.
#17 Hopkins Law Firm
Based in Charleston
62/100LFR ScoreRanked #17 because of its Google rating and practice area focus: 5.0★ from 125 Google reviews, listed on Google as “Personal injury attorney”.
Based in Goose Creek, 30 mi away
62/100LFR ScoreRanked #18 because of its Google rating and practice area focus: 5.0★ from 21 Google reviews, listed on Google as “Criminal justice attorney”.
Based in Mount Pleasant, 4 mi away
62/100LFR ScoreRanked #19 because of its Google rating and review volume: 5.0★ from 160 Google reviews.
#20 Stegall Law
Based in Summerville, 23 mi away
61/100LFR ScoreRanked #20 because of its Google rating and practice area focus: 5.0★ from 6 Google reviews, listed on Google as “Criminal justice attorney”.
#21 Farmer Law Firm
Based in Mount Pleasant, 4 mi away
60/100LFR ScoreRanked #21 because of its Google rating and practice area focus: 5.0★ from 74 Google reviews, listed on Google as “Personal injury attorney”.
Based in Charleston
60/100LFR ScoreRanked #22 because of its Google rating and practice area focus: 4.7★ from 59 Google reviews, listed on Google as “Attorney”.
Based in Charleston
59/100LFR ScoreRanked #23 because of its Google rating and practice area focus: 4.7★ from 46 Google reviews, listed on Google as “Attorney”.
#24 Osborne Law, LLC
Based in Charleston
58/100LFR ScoreRanked #24 because of its Google rating and practice area focus: 5.0★ from 18 Google reviews, listed on Google as “Legal services”.
#25 Soper Law Office
Based in North Charleston, 7 mi away
58/100LFR ScoreRanked #25 because of its Google rating and practice area focus: 4.7★ from 42 Google reviews, listed on Google as “Law firm”.
Top 50 of 107 criminal defense lawyers by emergency score
#1 to #25 are shown in full above. Here are #26 to #50, in LFR Score order; each links to its profile.
| Rank | Business | LFR Score | Google rating | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 26 | Crantford Meehan, Attorneys at Law, LLC | 57 | 5.0★ (100) | 22 mi |
| 27 | Bucher Legal LLC | 56 | 2.6★ (5) | 3 mi |
| 28 | Drennan Law Firm, LLC | 55 | 5.0★ (860) | 5 mi |
| 29 | Seibert Law Firm, LLC | 52 | 4.9★ (96) | In Charleston |
| 30 | Glenn Law Firm, LLC | 52 | 5.0★ (6) | 22 mi |
| 31 | Thurmond Kirchner & Timbes, P.A. | 52 | 4.9★ (87) | In Charleston |
| 32 | Dale Savage Law Firm | 50 | 4.9★ (54) | 3 mi |
| 33 | McCoy Law Group, LLC. | 50 | 4.9★ (36) | In Charleston |
| 34 | Kulp & Elliott - Attorneys at Law | 50 | 5.0★ (34) | In Charleston |
| 35 | Joseph Kaiser, Attorney at Law, LLC | 50 | 4.9★ (31) | In Charleston |
| 36 | Law Office of Nick Thomas, LLC | 49 | 5.0★ (21) | In Charleston |
| 37 | DeTreville Law & Mediation, LLC | 49 | 3.8★ (62) | In Charleston |
| 38 | Templeton Mims & Ward | 49 | 5.0★ (17) | In Charleston |
| 39 | Susan E. Williams - Attorney at Law | 49 | 5.0★ (169) | 22 mi |
| 40 | Dixon Law Firm, LLC | 49 | 4.5★ (22) | In Charleston |
| 41 | Husted Law Firm | 48 | 5.0★ (15) | 3 mi |
| 42 | John D. Crumrine | 48 | 5.0★ (11) | In Charleston |
| 43 | The Justis Law Firm, LLC | 48 | 4.9★ (144) | 22 mi |
| 44 | Paul Schwartz Law Firm | 48 | 4.2★ (15) | In Charleston |
| 45 | The Law Office of Peter David Brown, P.A. | 48 | 4.9★ (29) | 7 mi |
| 46 | Deaton Law Firm LLC | 48 | 4.9★ (61) | 15 mi |
| 47 | Sanyal Law Firm, LLC | 48 | 4.9★ (10) | In Charleston |
| 48 | Harris and Huge LLC | 47 | 5.0★ (7) | In Charleston |
| 49 | Mikell Law Firm | 47 | 4.6★ (11) | 3 mi |
| 50 | Hawkins Law Firm, P.A. | 47 | 3.4★ (13) | In Charleston |
How we ranked emergency criminal defense lawyers in Charleston
Emergency lists move 10 points of the LFR Score from reputation to availability: 15% and 15%. Availability credits 24/7 hours, same-day service, weekend hours and weekly open hours. 24/7 criminal defense lawyers are listed first, then same-day, then the rest; ranks follow that order. Paid placement never changes a rank.
Paid placement never changes a rank or score. Attorney advertising businesses are paid, labelled, limited to 3 and shown above the ranking, outside it.
| Factor | Weight | Computed from |
|---|---|---|
| Reputation | 15% | Google star rating, adjusted for how many reviews back it |
| Bar status | 10% | An active bar or law society record matched to a lawyer at the firm (not measured until a record source is loaded) |
| Review volume | 10% | Number of Google reviews, compared with the most-reviewed firm on the list |
| Recency | 10% | Share of reviews from the last 12 months |
| Availability | 15% | Weekly office hours, Saturday, Sunday, and phones answered 24/7 |
| Practice focus | 15% | How clearly the firm practises this area (its Google category and name) |
| Proximity | 5% | An office in the city scores highest, less the farther away it is |
| Claimed profile | 10% | The firm has claimed its Law Firms Ranked profile (free and paid earn the same) |
| Law Firms Ranked reviews | 10% | Verified client reviews collected by Law Firms Ranked: their rating and how many there are |
Emergency criminal defense lawyers in Charleston: questions
Which criminal defense lawyers in Charleston are open 24/7?
25 on this list post 24/7 hours, including Sahn Law Firm - Attorneys at Law, John W. Molony Law Firm, LLC, J. Brooks Davis Law Firm, South Carolina Criminal Law and Young & Young, Attorneys at Law.
Who is ranked #1 for emergency criminal defense in Charleston, SC?
Sahn Law Firm - Attorneys at Law is #1, with an LFR Score of 74 out of 100 on emergency weights.
How are emergency criminal defense lawyers in Charleston ranked?
Emergency lists move 10 points of the LFR Score from reputation to availability: 15% and 15%. Availability credits 24/7 hours, same-day service, weekend hours and weekly open hours. 24/7 criminal defense lawyers are listed first, then same-day, then the rest; ranks follow that order. Paid placement never changes a rank.
What should I do before the criminal defense lawyer arrives?
If you or someone you know is arrested: you can stay silent and ask for a lawyer before answering questions. Calls from jail are usually recorded, so do not discuss the facts of the case on them.
How many emergency criminal defense lawyers here list a phone number?
25 of the 25 law firms ranked in full list a phone number. Tap Call to dial it.
Update log for Charleston
- November 2026: LFR Scores recalculated for 107 criminal defense lawyers serving Charleston.