ASSAULT ATTORNEY/

The Leventis law firm believes there are two sides to every story. We know people make mistakes. Arguments get heated; sometimes people make the wrong choice. Extenuating circumstances and hard and circumstantial evidence are important considerations in your case.

When facing an assault charge, it’s in a person’s best interest to contact a defense attorney immediately. Our firm has a proven track record of handling all manner of criminal defense cases in South Carolina. This includes careful research, investigation, interviews, and documentation in assault cases to ensure we are representing our clients fully and justly in our quest to defend them in every single type of assault and/or battery case.

Below, we provide a brief description of few of the types of assault charges that can be brought against someone. This is not by any means a complete and detailed list of charges someone may face. To know the ins and outs of the law takes years of legal practice. Truly, there is no substitute for good legal counsel. But this page endeavors to provide an overview of what assault can mean under South Carolina law, and helps to arm you with information so that you do not give up hope. There may be solutions for your case that you are completely unaware of as a regular citizen, and your life and livelihood may be retained with little or no damage to your reputation.

Here are some of the case types we handle:

• High/aggravated assault: Put simply, when one person unlawfully injures another person, that is assault. In the case of high/aggravated assault, this results in “great bodily injury” to the other party. This means an injury that includes a substantial risk of death, or one that causes serious, permanent disfigurement, loss, or impairment of a part or organ of the body. This is a felony.
  • It is important to understand what “great bodily injury” means. For example, if someone is injured during an altercation, but not to this degree, it may mean a charge of harassment is more appropriate. A general rule of thumb: The more a victim is injured, the more serious the charges become.
• Sexual assault/Criminal sexual conduct: Generally, this means unlawfully injuring someone through nonconsensual touching of a person’s private parts (genitals or buttocks of a male or female, breasts of a female) with lewd and lascivious intent. This includes rape, “date rape,” spousal sexual abuse, and other criminal sexual conduct, including coercion, sexual battery, and charges of use of force during the sexual assault. This is also a felony.
• There are many other degrees of assault which can carry a lesser charge and be considered misdemeanors. Most depend on the circumstances of the incident and the degree to which someone else is injured during the incident.

You might injure another party during a robbery, burglary or theft. The degree of that charge can depend on whether it was intentional or accidental. If you resist arrest by use of a deadly weapon, that is also an assault charge. Even threats can carry serious charges. Offerings or attempts to injure someone in an act which would result in death or great bodily injury can result in an assault charge.

Again, these are just a few representative types of assault and battery charges. Be aware that you may also be accused of multiple charges during a single incident. Multiple charges can mean longer, more severe penalties. Each charge has to be understood fully and considered carefully. It is very important to have someone who understands the complexities of the law and who is experienced in representing defendants in those crimes to ensure your case is handled carefully, comprehensively, and confidentially.