The rule summaries below follow the text published by the South Carolina Judicial Branch under Rule 407, SCACR. Rules 7.1, 7.2, and 7.4 were last amended by Order dated August 10, 2016. Rule 7.3 was last amended by Order dated October 23, 2019. Confirm the current rule before relying on this page. This page is not legal advice to the public and is not an ethics opinion.
Disclosures for this website
This website is an advertisement for legal services.
Mary Kay Siren, Esquire, of Bowers & Siren, LLC, 23 Plantation Park Drive, Suite 503, Bluffton, South Carolina 29910 is responsible for the content of this website. Office address: 23 Plantation Park Drive, Suite 503, Bluffton, South Carolina 29910. The lawyer who will actually perform the services described on this website principally practices in Bluffton, Beaufort County, South Carolina.
The material on this website is general information about South Carolina family court practice and about this office. It is not legal advice and is not a substitute for advice about a particular matter.
Viewing this website, telephoning the office, or sending an unsolicited email or form message does not create an attorney-client relationship. An attorney-client relationship is formed only after the firm confirms in writing that it can accept the representation and that no conflict of interest prevents it from doing so.
Please do not send confidential or sensitive information through this website or by unsolicited email. Unsolicited communications are not protected by the attorney-client privilege until a representation has been accepted.
Mary Kay Siren is not a certified specialist. Under South Carolina Rule of Professional Conduct 7.4, a lawyer who is not certified as a specialist may describe the fields in which the lawyer practices, but may not use any form of the words “certified,” “specialist,” “expert,” or “authority.” This office concentrates its work in family law and describes that work in factual terms only.
Every family court matter turns on its own facts, the applicable law, and the discretion of the court. Nothing on this website is a prediction or guarantee of any result.
You may wish to consult another lawyer. Information about other lawyers is available through lawyer directories, by asking people you trust, or by calling the South Carolina Bar Lawyer Referral Service at 803-799-7100 in Columbia or toll free at 1-800-868-2284.
Any complaints about this communication or the representations of any lawyer may be directed to the Office of Disciplinary Counsel, 1220 Senate Street, Suite 309, Columbia, South Carolina 29201, telephone 803-734-2038.
South Carolina Rule 7.2(b) requires the lawyer responsible for an advertisement to keep a copy of the advertisement for two years after its last dissemination, together with a record of when and where it was disseminated.
The advertising rules, written out
Rule 7.1 — Communications Concerning a Lawyer’s Services
A lawyer shall not make false, misleading, or deceptive communications about the lawyer or the lawyer’s services. A communication violates the rule if it contains a material misrepresentation or omits a fact needed to keep the statement from being misleading; if it is likely to create an unjustified expectation about results; if it compares the lawyer’s services with other lawyers’ services unless the comparison can be factually substantiated; if it contains a testimonial or endorsement that does not meet the rule’s identification and disclaimer requirements; or if it uses a nickname or trade name that implies an ability to obtain results. This website does not publish testimonials, case results, or comparisons with other lawyers.
Rule 7.2 — Advertising
A lawyer may advertise through electronic communication, including a website. All advertisements shall be predominantly informational: in both quantity and quality, factual information rationally related to the need for and selection of a lawyer must predominate, with only a minimal amount of content designed solely to attract attention. The lawyer is responsible for reviewing the advertisement before it is disseminated and must keep a copy for two years after its last dissemination, with a record of when and where it was used. Any communication under the rule shall include the name and office address of at least one lawyer responsible for its content, and shall disclose the city or town where the lawyer who will actually perform the services principally practices. Required disclosures on a website must appear on the same page as the statement they qualify.
Rule 7.3 — Solicitation of Clients
A website directed to the general public is advertising, not a targeted solicitation. Rule 7.3’s “ADVERTISING MATERIAL” envelope legend and the additional solicitation paragraphs apply to communications initiated by the lawyer and aimed at a specific person known to need legal services in a particular matter. This site is not such a communication. The office does not use this website to make real-time electronic contact for the purpose of soliciting employment.
Rule 7.4 — Communication of Fields of Practice and Specialization
A lawyer who is not certified as a specialist may advertise a willingness to accept cases in a particular field. Any such statement shall be strictly factual and shall not contain any form of the words “certified,” “specialist,” “expert,” or “authority,” except in the narrow situations the rule itself permits (certain patent, admiralty, and certified-mediator designations). South Carolina’s certified-specialist program does not include a family-law specialty. This office describes its fields of practice in factual terms and does not claim certified specialization.
Rule 7.5 — Firm Names and Letterheads
A lawyer shall not use a firm name or professional designation that violates Rule 7.1. Lawyers may state or imply that they practice in a partnership or other organization only when that is the fact. This website uses the firm name Bowers & Siren, LLC, as supplied by counsel.
Confidentiality and prospective clients
Rules 1.6 and 1.18 limit the use of information relating to the representation of a client and create duties to a person who discusses the possibility of forming a client-lawyer relationship. Unsolicited website messages are not a substitute for that discussion. Do not send confidential information until the firm has completed a conflict check and accepted the representation in writing.
Lawyer responsible for content
Mary Kay Siren, Esquire, Bowers & Siren, LLC, 23 Plantation Park Drive, Suite 503, Bluffton, South Carolina 29910. Telephone (843) 757-8020. Email msiren@blufftonfamilylaw.com.