For parents navigating custody disputes in Charleston, Berkeley & Dorchester counties. Send a confidential message — we'll reply by email or phone, whichever you prefer.
Hall & Means represents parents in custody disputes across Charleston, Berkeley, and Dorchester counties. Mary Ann Hall and Jessica Means are Charleston child custody attorneys focused on family law — whether you're seeking primary custody, modifying an existing order, or facing an emergency, you'll work directly with your attorney, not a paralegal screening calls.
Why Hall & Means
Mary Ann Hall and Jessica Means lead Hall & Means together, representing clients through divorce, custody, alimony, and the financial decisions that come with them. Both attorneys focus on family law in the 9th and 1st Judicial Circuit Family Courts, with deep local relationships across mediators, guardians ad litem, and financial professionals throughout the tri-county region.
Meet your attorneys →Built around advocating for our clients in divorce, custody, and family transitions. The Family Law Hub reflects that focus — written for the questions our clients actually ask.
Three-county family law practice across the 9th and 1st Judicial Circuit Family Courts, with a local network of mediators, guardians ad litem, and financial professionals.
You work with Mary Ann or Jessica. Your calls and emails are returned by your attorney — not screened by a paralegal, not routed to an associate.
What to expect
From the first call to active representation, the path is the same for every client. We tell you what's happening, what it costs, and what choices are yours to make — before we ask you to commit to anything.
Phase 1
You reach out by phone or message. One of our staff or firm team members responds — typical response time within 24 hours. Confidentiality starts with the first interaction. The first conversation is focused on understanding your custody situation, not selling you on services.
Response within 24 hoursPhase 2
We schedule a 2-hour consultation and review any existing custody orders or court history. An initial retainer is quoted at that consultation, based on the facts of your case — initial because the final cost depends on how the case unfolds. We lay out the pathways available to you — primary custody, modification, or emergency relief — with honest costs and timelines for each.
Attorney-client privileged from word onePhase 3
If we're a fit, we put a representation agreement in place. We file a custody action or modification petition when you're ready — and immediately if the situation calls for emergency relief under Rule 21 SCRFC.
Emergency filings prioritized when neededFinal Phase
Initial filings submitted. We coordinate service, work with any appointed Guardian ad Litem, and prepare for the first temporary hearing. You retain authority over substantive decisions — settlement terms, signatures on agreements, and key strategy choices. We handle procedural matters (discovery, scheduling, extensions to keep your case moving) without asking permission for each step. Throughout, you work directly with Mary Ann or Jessica.
Direct attorney access throughoutCommon questions
South Carolina decides custody on the best interest of the child (S.C. Code § 63-15-230), and the seventeen factors a judge weighs are listed at § 63-15-240(B). Hall & Means represents parents in those cases from our West Ashley office in Charleston, SC. Every family’s facts are different, so for advice about yours, request a confidential consultation.
The enumerated factors are in S.C. Code § 63-15-240(B), and there are 17 of them. § 63-15-230 sets the best-interest standard; it is not the factor list. The 17 include the child's developmental needs, the child's own preference weighed by age and maturity, each parent's efforts to support the child's bond with the other parent, and the stability of each home.
No. South Carolina gives neither parent a head start. Under § 63-5-30 a mother and father are joint natural guardians with equal power, rights, and duties, and neither parent's right is paramount to the other's. The Tender Years Doctrine was abolished in 2008 (§ 63-15-10). § 63-15-210 defines joint custody and sole custody, but it sets no preference for either arrangement.
You must show a substantial change in circumstances affecting the child that was not anticipated when the order was entered. That threshold comes from South Carolina case law (Stutz v. Funderburk; Latimer v. Farmer), not a statute. A parent's relocation of more than 100 miles from the child's primary residence within the past year is one § 63-15-240(B) factor, not an automatic trigger. Even an agreed change needs court approval.
Interim custody is set at a temporary hearing, if a parent requests temporary relief. At all contested temporary custody hearings each parent must prepare, file, and submit a parenting plan (S.C. Code § 63-15-220). Evidence there is confined to affidavits, financial declarations, and statutorily required documents under SCRFC Rule 21(f)(1), unless the judge permits additional evidence for good cause. Written evidence is due five days before the hearing (Rule 21(f)(2)).
Once each parent has the children at least 109 overnights a year, support is figured on the shared-parenting worksheet, Worksheet C. South Carolina uses the Income Shares model under S.C. Code § 63-17-470, which divides the estimated cost of raising the children in proportion to each parent's income. The current schedule is the 2024 South Carolina Child Support Guidelines, and SC DSS publishes the official calculator.
Not automatically. Under S.C. Code § 63-3-810(A) the family court may appoint a guardian ad litem only when it determines it would otherwise not be fully informed and a substantial custody dispute exists, or when both parties consent. No statute caps the fee. § 63-3-850(A) requires the judge to set the method and rate of compensation in the appointment order, including an initial fee authorization.
Yes, but he has to establish them through the court. S.C. Code § 63-17-20(B) provides that unless the court orders otherwise, custody of a child born outside of marriage is solely in the natural mother, unless she has relinquished her rights. An unmarried father can ask the Family Court for custody or visitation. Paternity must be established and a court order entered first.
The same custody law applies in every one of them — South Carolina has a single statewide Family Court (S.C. Code § 63-3-530). What changes is venue: which county hears the case. For a divorce action, § 20-3-60 sets venue through three routes keyed to where each spouse resides and where they last resided together, with an exception where the plaintiff is a nonresident. We confirm venue before filing.
Every custody case turns on its own facts. Request a confidential consultation with Hall & Means — call (843) 377-1341 or send a message using the form below. This page is general legal information, not legal advice, and does not create an attorney-client relationship. South Carolina law changes and every case turns on its specific facts. Consult a licensed South Carolina family-law attorney about your situation.
Resources
Our Family Law Hub covers South Carolina custody law in depth. If you want to understand what you're walking into before you call, these are the places to start.
Hub article
The best-interest standard in S.C. Code § 63-15-230, the § 63-15-240(B) factors, and how parents can position themselves before filing.
Read article →Hub article
The Income Shares model, worked examples, and what the final order math looks like in real cases.
Read article →Hub article
How to request ex parte temporary relief under Rule 21(g), SCRFC, and Rule 65, SCRCP, and the standard the court applies.
Read article →Get in touch
Submit the form and we'll reply within one business day — by email or phone, whichever you prefer. Everything you share is protected by attorney-client privilege from the first message.
Phone
Office
1816 Belgrade Avenue, Ste. 101
Charleston, SC 29407
Hours
Monday – Friday, 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM
