Bluffton, Beaufort County, South Carolina
Mary Kay Siren
Family law attorney in Bluffton, South Carolina
Attorney at Law · Bowers & Siren, LLC
37 years in family law. The office handles separation, divorce, spousal support, property division, child custody, child support, and the enforcement of Family Court orders.
The practice
Family law, practiced in Beaufort County for 37 years
Mary Kay Siren, Esquire is a member of Bowers & Siren, LLC. The work of the office is Family Court work: whether spouses live apart under an order of the court; whether a marriage is dissolved, and on what ground; how children are parented and supported; how marital property and debt are divided; and whether an existing order is obeyed.
Her degrees—Bachelor of Arts, Master’s, Doctor of Philosophy, and Juris Doctor—were conferred by the University of South Carolina. She is a member of the South Carolina Bar, the Hilton Head Island Bar Association, and the South Carolina Women Lawyers Association.
The office is in Bluffton, Beaufort County. Family Court work from Hilton Head Island, Beaufort, Port Royal, Okatie, and the rest of the county is handled from that office. The pages on this site describe the work in general terms. They are not advice about a particular household.
BiographyThe work
Matters the office accepts
South Carolina permits a lawyer to identify the fields in which the lawyer will take cases. This office takes the following.
Separation
South Carolina does not grant a status called “legal separation.” The Family Court may instead enter an order of separate maintenance and support that governs the household while the marriage continues.
Divorce
South Carolina grants a divorce only on grounds set out in statute. The Family Court also decides related questions of children, support, and property when those issues are placed before it.
Spousal Support
South Carolina Family Court may award temporary or final support between spouses. The form, amount, and duration of support, if any, depend on the statutory factors and the facts of the marriage.
Property Division
South Carolina is an equitable-apportionment state. The Family Court divides marital property and marital debt in a manner it finds fair, which is not the same thing as an automatic equal split.
Child Custody
South Carolina decides custody by the best interests of the child. There is no automatic preference for either parent. The court may award joint custody or sole custody and will set a parenting schedule.
Child Support
Child support is generally set from the South Carolina Child Support Guidelines. The guidelines consider both parents’ incomes and certain additional expenses. Support does not end on its own.
Enforcement of Family Court Orders
A Family Court order is not a suggestion. When a party does not obey an order for support, parenting time, property transfer, or another required act, the court may enforce the order through contempt.
Uncontested Divorce
An uncontested divorce is a divorce in which the spouses agree on the ground and on the related questions of children, support, and property. The Family Court still reviews the agreement. Agreement alone does not end the marriage.
Modifications
The Family Court can change an existing order when the circumstances have changed in a substantial way since the order was entered. The old order stays in force until the court changes it.
Military Divorce
Service members and spouses connected to Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort and Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island can have Family Court cases in Beaufort County that also involve deployment, military pay, and retirement benefits.
The office
Bluffton, Beaufort County
23 Plantation Park Drive, Suite 503, Bluffton, Beaufort County, South Carolina 29910. Mail: Post Office Box 191, Bluffton, South Carolina 29910. Telephone (843) 757-8020. msiren@blufftonfamilylaw.com.
Hilton Head Island
Family law attorney for Hilton Head Island
Hilton Head Island is in Beaufort County. Family Court work for people who live on the island is handled from the Bluffton office. There is no Hilton Head office.
Beaufort
Family law attorney for Beaufort, South Carolina
Beaufort is the county seat of Beaufort County. The Family Court is there. The office that handles the work described on this site is in Bluffton, not in a second office in the city of Beaufort.