Protect Your Land

We offer legal education and direct legal services to help families reach agreement, clear title to family land and probate estates.

Our clients receive all the legal services necessary to resolve heirs’ property issues including title searches, preparing documents, scheduling land surveys, requesting hearings, and providing full representation in court.

Because family agreement is the key to resolving heirs’ property issues, we offer personalized “Family Presentations” to help families decide what they want to do with their land. By bringing all of the family members to the table at the same time to be heard and learn about their heirs’ property situation, family agreement can often be reached.

Our three Buckets of Work include:

PREVENTION: Education and services to help prevent the growth of heirs’ property, including: Education Seminars, Probating Estates, One-hour of Free, Legal Consultation and Free Simple Wills Clinics.

RESOLUTION: Services to help resolve heirs’ property title issues including: Preparation of all legal documents, Title searches, Surveys, Court filings (Determination of Heirs, Quiet Title Action, Quit Claim Deeds, etc.) and Court Proceedings.

SUSTAINABLE LAND USE: Education and technical assistance to help historically under-served landowners acquire the knowledge and access to programs and forestry experts to manage their forestland for maximum income.

CLICK HERE FOR LEGAL FEE PAYMENTS

To become a client, you must:

  • Own heir’s property within our 22-county service area (Allendale, Bamberg, Beaufort, Berkeley, Calhoun, Charleston, Chesterfield, Clarendon, Colleton, Darlington, Dillon, Dorchester, Florence, Hampton, Horry, Georgetown, Jasper, Kershaw, Lee, Marion, Marlboro, Orangeburg, Richland, Sumter and Williamsburg);
  • Want to keep your family land – not sell it;
  • Call us at (843) 745-7055 to make an appointment for one-hour of FREE legal consultation with a Center attorney to assess your situation and if/how we can be of help;
  • Meet our income guidelines, and;
  • Commit to creating an accurate family tree.

Service Areas

1. Allendale
2. Bamberg
3. Beaufort
4. Berkeley
5. Calhoun
6. Charleston
7. Chesterfield
8. Clarendon
9. Colleton
10. Darlington
11. Dillon
12. Dorchester
13. Florence
14. Georgetown
15. Hampton
16. Horry
17. Jasper
18. Kershaw
19. Lee
20. Marion
21. Marlboro
22. Orangeburg
23. Richland
24. Sumter
25. Williamsburg

If you want to participate in the Sustainable Forestry Program (SF) and you own heirs’ property, you must begin the legal process to resolve your heirs’ property issues by either using our legal help or that of a private attorney. 

To learn more about SF,  click on navigation bar above – “Put Your Land To Work”

Outreach Activities - Education, Wills Clinics and Forestry Workshops Dos and Dont's

FAQ's

Who is an heir?

An heir is anyone related “by blood” to the person whose name is on the deed to the property, and those persons related to him/her by law or birth, including:

  • A spouse by legal marriage
  • A spouse by “common law” – providing they have lived together and presented themselves openly to the community/public as husband and wife
  • A spouse who is separated but not legally divorced
  • Children by birth
  • Children by legal adoption
  • Outside children
  • Children of a separated but not divorced spouse (there is no such thing as “common law” divorce)
Who is not an heir?

Legally divorced spouses, “raised” children (not legally adopted) and any non-family members.

What does “clearing” title mean and how does it benefit me?

The definition of “clearing” the title is having the name of the deceased person removed from the deed of the property by legal measures and replacing it with the name(s) of the living heirs of that deceased person. With a clear title, you can obtain a mortgage to build a new home, start a small business, or access grant funds to make repairs to your current home.

Does the entire family have to agree on what to do with the family land?

YES. Family agreement is required before our attorneys can proceed with resolving property issues. We will not risk taking an heir’s case to court without a family agreement because an heir who doesn’t agree can stand up in court and challenge the proceeding. If that happens, the family runs the risk of the court ordering the property sold. We conduct customized presentations for all the heirs of a family to come together and reach an agreement.

Can you help me with heirs’ property advice over the phone?

NO. Our lawyers cannot give legal advice over the phone. Face-to-face meetings are required to ensure that all relevant information is obtained and reviewed with the appropriate family member(s). Call us at (843) 745-7055 to schedule a free appointment to talk about your particular property issues with our attorneys.

How much will it cost me for you to help resolve my heirs’ property issue?

Heirs’ property owners who become clients must meet established income guidelines. Once you become a client, all direct legal services provided to resolve your property issues are free. However, clients are asked to pay for costs associated with their case, which might include court filing fees, cost for publication in the paper, fees for a title search and the cost for any survey the family wants to have completed, etc.

How long will the process take for me to obtain “clear” title?

Each case is different and varies with each family situation. Resolving an heirs’ property issue can take anywhere from six months to several years.

I want to sell my family’s land and I need an attorney to help me with the process. Can you help me with this?

Our mission is to help families wishing to keep their family land. We will be happy to provide anyone wishing to sell their family land with a list of attorneys who have attended one of our legal education seminars.

I don’t know all of my relatives nor where they live. How important is the family tree?

Very important! Creating your family tree is a necessary part of resolving heirs’ property issues. All parties who have an interest in the property in question must be accounted for and notified of upcoming actions. We will provide resources to help you to do this critical work.

Some members of my family want to clear title to our heirs’ property but we have some other family members who don’t believe it’s necessary. How can you help us with this?

We provide special presentations to help families come together and reach an agreement about what to do with their land. The presentation is a customized version of our Heirs’ Property 101 educational seminar – specifically tailored to provide the information and answers that a particular family needs.