FAQ’s

1.  I think I may have a case.  What is the process that I will go through during my case?

We make every effort to ensure that the legal process is very easy for you. We know that any lawsuit, whether it is a personal injury, automobile or car accident, DUI defense, or a criminal defense case, the legal portion can become very stressful and time-consuming if handled alone. That is why our experienced legal team is here for you. We help take the stress off of you. We have a streamlined process that will take care of your legal needs and free your time to do other things. We know you have a busy and hectic schedule, and that is why we will handle your claim quickly and efficiently, allowing you to go on with your normal routine.

During your first visit we will evaluate your claim with you. We will sit down and discuss all possible pros and cons of your case in a very confidential setting. We will start to dissect your case and map out different scenarios with you so you know what to expect. We believe sharing our knowledge and expertise with you will help keep you informed and allow you to have insight into what is going on behind the scenes.

We will keep you informed and call you with updates on your case. We pride our law firm and staff with keeping you updated by mail, email, or phone calls on predetermined dates as well as when updates become known.  We help to take any surprises out of the process. We know that no one knows 100% what the outcome will hold, but we can share what the road will look like as we travel down the pathway of your case.

We strongly believe that giving you a timeline and keeping you informed is the best way to keep you stress-free throughout the process. We also make ourselves available to you when you have any questions.  From day one to the end of the case, you will have a litigation attorney available to you.  We will treat you with the respect that you deserve.

If you or a loved one has a problem or a case that you would like us to evaluate, call or email us right away. Contact attorney Scotty Sheriff, a Charleston, South Carolina lawyer by calling 843-991-2222 or email us today. Send us a message on our contact page today for a quick response regarding your legal questions. We are able to help you with your personal injury, automobile accident, DUI defense, criminal defense, and many other areas of law.

We represent clients throughout the Low Country including Charleston, Mount Pleasant, West Ashley, James Island, Kiawah Island, Summerville, Moncks Corner, Goose Creek, and Georgetown, South Carolina. We offer our clients free consultations and are available during evenings and on weekends by appointment.

2.  How much will my personal injury claim or automobile accident claim be worth?

A personal injury attorney will review your personal injury claim or automobile accident claim right away. We cannot put a number on a claim because of the variable involved, but we can sit down with you and discuss all factors and all of the pros and cons of your automobile accident and/or your personal injury claim so that you will be well-informed. One of our major concerns and goals is to achieve an award that adequately compensates you for your personal injury and/or automobile accident.  This compensation may include past, present, and future medical expenses associated with your accident; loss of wages; reduced earning capacity; punitive damages; medical monitoring; lifestyle changes; lifetime care and medical costs (for severe cases such as brain injuries); and pain and suffering.

3.  How much will the Sheriff Law Firm charge?

The Sheriff Law Firm offers free initial case evaluations to you.  If you do decide to retain Scotty Sheriff as your attorney, there are different payment options.

For criminal defense and DUI defense cases, fees vary, and Scotty works with each client individually to charge a fair price.  This can include payment plans.

For civil matters such as personal injury, automobile accidents, and similar cases, the charge is often no money out-of-pocket from you. Instead, depending on the facts, the charge will be a percentage of anything won or settled.

For other civil matters it is case-by-case and, in some instances, will be set up as an hourly rate.

4.  Are you available after hours?

Yes, the Sheriff Law Firm has staff available after hours for clients’ needs.  We monitor e-mail, the contact page, and phones after hours, and your message will receive a prompt response.

5.  Will I have to go to court?

Many cases settle outside of court; however, we cannot exactly predict from the onset which cases actually will end in settlement.  You need an experienced attorney on your side to insure that your rights are protected throughout the process of a lawsuit as well as to fully prepare you in the case that you do have to go to court.

6.  How much time do I have to bring my case?

In many cases, South Carolina imposes a statute of limitations on your ability to bring suit.  This means that you have an exact amount of time within which to file suit.  However, it is important to immediately hire an experienced attorney, because the amount of time that you have to bring suit may vary depending on the type of case that you have.

7.  I was injured, but the accident was partly my fault.  Can I still recover?

If you are partly liable for the auto accident, then recovering compensation can sometimes be difficult.  However, it is still possible to recover, depending on the circumstances of the car accident or other personal injury.  To find out whether your can still be compensated for your injuries even though you were partially at fault, please call personal injury and car accident attorney, Scotty Sheriff.

8.  Can I handle my auto accident without a lawyer?

It will be much more difficult. An automobile accident lawyer will have experience dealing with personal injury insurance adjusters and insurance companies. Car accident insurance adjusters and insurance companies do not look out for your best interests, and they will attempt to give you the least amount possible for your personal injuries suffered from a car accident.

An experienced Charleston, South Carolina automobile accident lawyer will also be able to investigate the car accident and may be able to demonstrate that the accident was not your fault.  Finally, automobile accident and personal injury settlements reached with the aid of an automobile accident lawyer are generally more substantial than settlements reached without an experienced car accident lawyer.

It is in your best interest to get an experienced automobile accident attorney to investigate the car accident and personal injury claim and to represent you. Plus, the longer you wait, the harder it is for an automobile accident attorney to help you in many aspects of your case.  It is best to get a personal injury attorney right away before you make any statements.

9.  Do I need to call the police if I have a car accident?

Yes. By contacting the police after your automobile accident, you will be able to obtain a police report about the auto accident.  A police report can be an essential part of your automobile accident claim, because it should detail who the police believe was negligent, thus possibly liable, for the automobile accident and personal injury claims.

10.  I feel fine.  Should I still see a doctor after my car accident?

Yes. Many times, injuries sustained during an automobile accident do not arise for some time after the auto accident occurred. This means that, while you may feel all right now, you may be injured internally. You should always seek medical attention after being involved in an automobile accident where a personal injury may be present.

If you are not liable for the automobile accident, we can help you receive compensation for any medical costs you have to pay following the automobile accident.

11.  What should I say to the insurance adjuster after my car accident?

You should not say anything until you get an experienced automobile accident lawyer. Insurance adjusters work for the insurance companies, and it is their job to save the insurance company as much money as possible from your automobile accident. While it is all right to speak with the insurance adjuster about the car accident with us present, you should always wait until you contact our office first so we can be present to protect your rights. The insurance company will try to use statements taken out of context against you and it can severely hurt your claim.  Never talk to insurance companies before you talk to an automobile accident attorney.

12.  Should I speak to an insurance company without my lawyer?

NO. It is very important to know that the insurance company is not on your side. You may give them statutorily required information such as your name, birth date, etc; however, do not give them any statements until you speak with an experienced automobile accident lawyer.  Many accidents can leave you confused and scared immediately after, and may lead to faulty or false admissions of guilt.  These admissions can greatly affect your chances of financial recovery after an automobile accident, so getting an experienced accident attorney right away is very important.

13.  What should I do if I am arrested? What if my spouse or child is arrested?

If you or a loved one has been arrested, you should immediately call an experienced criminal defense attorney.  You should contact us right away.  Scotty Sheriff will insure that you are immediately aware of your rights and that those rights are not violated during an arrest.  The Sheriff Law Firm will immediately begin working on your criminal case to insure those rights are protected during your arrest and throughout your criminal case.  If you have been arrested and charged with a crime, please call experienced Charleston criminal defense attorney, Scotty Sheriff, right away.

14.  What constitutes a product defect?

Defective products can be anything from baby strollers and children’s toys to machine and car parts that do not work the way that the manufacturer intended and cause harm to others.  Many times, companies will be strictly liable for the injuries caused by defective products, meaning that they are responsible for the safety of their products with no excuses.  Other times, the manufacturer may have been negligent in the design or making of a product, and this defect may have caused injury to you.  In any products liability case, those who have been injured are entitled to compensation for any injuries that occurred as a result of the defect.  If you or a loved one has been injured by a defective product, do not hesitate to call products liability lawyer, Scotty Sheriff.

15.  A dog bit me. What should I do?

First and foremost, you should make sure that any injuries are taken care of by a medical professional.  Dog bites pose a serious risk for infection and scarring, and a physician should be contacted immediately for treatment.  If the bite from a dog attack is serious and you or a loved one are in immediate medical distress, call an ambulance or go to an emergency room as quickly as possible.

Second, you should contact experienced dog bite attorney, Scotty Sheriff.  At the Sheriff Law Firm, we can get the ball rolling and make sure to investigate every aspect of your case right away.  Here are some things that you should do immediately after the dog bite:

• Identify the Dog That Bit You. You or someone helping you should try to identify the dog that attacked you and determine how the dog owner can be located. The owner’s identity is necessary because the owner is a responsible party in dog bite cases, and, in many instances, the owner’s home insurance company is the entity that pays for the dog bite injuries, medical bills, and pain and suffering.

• Report the Dog Bite Attack. Report the dog bite attack to the local county animal control agency and/or the sheriff’s department. Provide information about the dog, including the owner’s name and address. If the dog was a stray, describe the dog’s appearance and the location of the incident.

• Have Photos Taken of the Dog Bite Injuries. As soon as it is practical after the dog bite attack, take photographs of all visible injuries, including wounds and lacerations. Also, take photos of any torn or bloody clothing. If possible, make sure pictures are taken of the dog itself and of the site where the attack took place. Take as many as possible, preferably with a digital camera, or, if one is not available at the scene, use a camera phone.

• Do not give an insurance company information about your dog bite incident or injuries. Do not give any statements to an insurance adjuster or insurance agent. Do not sign any document without discussing it with your dog bite attorney first! Insurance companies’ primary interests lie in protecting themselves from claims. The information that you give them about your dog bite can and will be used against you to defeat or minimize your claim. Also, do not attempt to settle your dog bite claim yourself. You may have a right to certain types of compensation for damages from a dog bite that you may not know exist.  It costs nothing to talk to a dog bite attorney first so that we can help guide you through your dog bite injury case. Dog bite injuries in particular often result in scars requiring surgical procedures. It is important to contact an experienced lawyer as soon as possible after the dog attack. Effective dog bite lawyers can seek full compensation for all of the damages you are entitled to recover.

16.  Who is liable in a dog bite attack?

Here in Charleston, the law generally holds dog owners liable for a dog attacks. An experienced dog bite lawyer can dig through the evidence to help find the responsible party. There could be more than one responsible party depending on where the bite occurred and who had control of the dog when the bite occurred.

17.  Who else could be responsible for a dog bite attack?

• The dog keeper or caretaker may potentially be a liable party in a dog bite case. South Carolina law makes the “owner of any dog” liable, but what happens when the dog is under the control of someone else at the time of the dog bite attack? In this situation, the keeper or caretaker of the dog can also be liable.

• Landlords as Liable Parties in Dog Bite Attacks.  In some circumstances, landlords can be held liable for a victim’s injuries in a dog bite attack.

• Commercial Property Owners as Liable Parties in Dog Bite Attacks. In the case of commercial properties, the landlord has a stringent duty to inspect the premises in order to discover any dangerous conditions, including a vicious dog. For example, if a commercial tenant is running a business on the property and the tenant’s dog bites a customer, the landlord may be liable.

• Other Parties. Depending upon the particular facts of the case, there may be other potential defendants in a dog bite attack case such as day care centers and homeowners’ associations. Identifying all responsible parties in a dog bite case is critical to a successful lawsuit, especially if the dog owner is unable to fully compensate the victim. A competent dog bite attorney will be able to investigate the facts surrounding the dog attack and determine the appropriate parties who may be responsible for the victim’s dog bite injuries. The diligence of the dog bite lawyer will help increase the chances that the injured victim will help you become compensated from all available sources.

18.  What should I do when I have been pulled over for a DUI?

Always remember that you have the right to remain silent. You have the right to not answer any questions that could be deemed incriminating.  You have the right not to perform DUI field sobriety tests, and you have the right to refuse a Breathalyzer. We can go over all of your rights and penalties associated with DUI field sobriety test and a refusal to take a breathalyzer. You have the right to contact us immediately concerning your DUI. Tell the officer that you want your attorney and do not answer any questions until we arrive.  Please use your rights and call Charleston South Carolina DUI lawyer Scotty Sheriff right away if you have been pulled over on suspicion of or charged with DUI or DUAC.

For more detailed information about South Carolina DUI and DUAC law, blood alcohol concentration, breathalyzers, and field sobriety tests, please see our DUI page.