Criminal Defense · Charleston, SC
Charleston Criminal
Defense Attorney
A criminal charge can upend your life, your career, and your family. O’Reilly Masciale Law Firm provides aggressive criminal defense in Charleston and across South Carolina — fighting to protect your rights, your record, and your future.
Whether you’re facing a DUI, drug charges, assault, theft, or serious felony charges, you need an attorney who understands the South Carolina criminal justice system and who will fight hard at every stage — from the initial investigation through trial and appeal if necessary.
Criminal defense requires the same aggressive, trial-ready preparation that defines O’Reilly Masciale Law Firm in personal injury. We challenge evidence, cross-examine witnesses, file suppression motions, and prepare every case as if it is going to trial — because sometimes it does.
The consequences of a criminal conviction are serious — jail time, fines, a permanent record, and collateral consequences for employment, housing, and professional licenses. We take the stakes seriously and fight accordingly. Call (843) 790-8771 for a free and confidential consultation.
Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome.
Why This Firm
We have sat in every seat
in the courtroom
Peter tries cases. Every file is prepared as though a jury will decide it, which is what changes the offers a client actually receives. He has defended charges at the very top of the range in South Carolina, including murder and attempted murder, and has taken cases to dismissal on self-defense grounds.
Matthew has worked every side of a criminal case. He defended felony charges as a Richland County Public Defender, prosecuted cases for the City of Columbia, and served as an Associate Probate Judge. He knows how the State builds a file, where those files are weakest, and how a judge reads both sides.
What We Defend
Charges we handle
- DUI and DUAC
- Felony DUI
- Driving under suspension
- Reckless driving
- Traffic offenses
- Simple possession
- Possession with intent to distribute
- Drug trafficking
- Conspiracy
- Assault and battery, all degrees
- Criminal domestic violence
- Armed robbery
- Weapons charges
- Murder and attempted murder
Case Results
Outcomes in serious cases
Three counts of first-degree criminal sexual conduct. All charges dismissed.
Reduced to a non-violent offense and resolved on a probationary sentence. The last offer before this firm was retained was fifteen years.
Charges dismissed on self-defense grounds under South Carolina’s Protection of Persons and Property Act.
Charges dismissed.
Dorchester County trafficking charge resolved on a probationary sentence.
Charges dismissed.
Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome. Every case is different and is decided on its own facts and its own record.
The Process
How a South Carolina
criminal case moves
If you have been arrested in Charleston, Berkeley, or Dorchester County, the clock is already running. Here is the path most cases follow and where the real leverage sits.
You are taken before a judge, usually within twenty-four hours, and bond is set. What happens at that hearing shapes everything after it.
In General Sessions cases you can request a preliminary hearing, but the request has a short deadline that runs from the bond hearing. Miss it and you give up the earliest look at the State’s evidence.
Felony charges move to General Sessions Court in the county where the offense is alleged to have occurred. In our area that is most often Charleston, Berkeley, or Dorchester County.
We get the State’s file and go through it. Suppression motions, challenges to the stop, the search, or the identification are where a lot of cases are actually won.
Most cases resolve by negotiation. The ones that resolve well are the ones the solicitor believes are going to trial if they do not.
Common Questions
What should I do if I’ve been arrested in South Carolina?
Invoke your right to remain silent and your right to an attorney immediately. Do not answer questions from law enforcement without your attorney present. Call O’Reilly Masciale Law Firm at (843) 790-8771 as soon as possible.
Can criminal charges be reduced or dismissed?
Yes. In many cases, charges can be reduced through negotiation or dismissed through suppression motions, challenges to evidence, or prosecutorial discretion. Every case is different and requires a thorough analysis.
What is the difference between a misdemeanor and felony in South Carolina?
Misdemeanors carry up to three years in prison, while felonies carry more than three years. The classification affects everything from bail to sentencing to collateral consequences. Both require strong legal defense.
Will a criminal conviction affect my ability to get a job?
A criminal conviction can have serious consequences for employment, professional licensing, housing applications, and immigration status. Minimizing or avoiding a conviction is critical, and we fight to achieve the best possible outcome.
Also At This Firm
Injury and wrongful death
Criminal defense is one part of what we do. O’Reilly Masciale Law Firm is a statewide trial practice, and most of our work is representing people who have been seriously injured or families who have lost someone.
Start at the home page, look through our case results, or meet the team.
Free Consultation
Tell us what
happened
One conversation is all it takes. Call (843) 790-8771 or fill out the form.
O’Reilly Masciale Law Firm · Trial Attorneys
Free Case Evaluation.
Fees quoted up front.
Call (843) 790-8771 · Available statewide · Charleston, SC