Education & Professional Experience
Education
No stranger to this area, T. Kirk Truslow graduated from Myrtle Beach High School in 1986. Truslow then attended The Citadel in Charleston, South Carolina, where he earned a Bachelor’s of Arts degree in English in 1990. At the Citadel, Truslow was a member of the Inn of Court, The Citadel’s pre-law society. In his senior year, Truslow was honored to argue a mock appeal before the South Carolina Court of Appeals.
Truslow attended the University of South Carolina School of Law in Columbia, South Carolina, and earned his Juris Doctor degree in 1993. He was honored by selection to the Order of the Wig and Robe. Truslow was active in the law school’s criminal clinic class, and in his third year of law school was permitted to try an actual criminal case. While in law school, Truslow clerked for the United States Department of Justice.
Professional Experience
Upon graduation from law school, Truslow accepted an associate attorney position in North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina with a local criminal defense attorney where he gained valuable experience in criminal trial work. In 1995, Truslow opened his own practice, The Truslow Law Firm, where he continues to represent clients in federal and state court criminal cases.
In 2000, Truslow represented a father wrongly accused in the death of his child in a highly publicized trial. The State prosecutors called numerous witnesses, including medical expert witnesses. Following the trial of the case, the jury returned verdicts of Not Guilty on all counts.
Truslow has also handled criminal appeals. Truslow appealed the conviction of a client who had been sentenced to five (5) years in prison. Truslow argued to the South Carolina Court of Appeals that the arresting officer in the case lacked probable cause to initiate a traffic stop based solely on the ground that the vehicle displayed temporary paper tags. The Court agreed, and the conviction was overturned. The client was released from prison. The State of South Carolina subsequently revamped the system of temporary paper tags.
In 2004, Truslow represented a client charged with drug possession. The client was detained by security officers for apparently no valid reason, and subsequently searched by law enforcement. Following the litigation of the motion to suppress argued just prior to trial based upon the search, the case was dismissed by the trial judge on the grounds of unlawful search and seizure.
In 2006, Truslow represented a client in U.S. District Court in a federal drug conspiracy case. As a result of this client’s criminal history, he was facing a mandatory minimum sentence of twenty (20) years to Life in prison. As the result of a creative and successful sentencing motion filed and argued by the defense, this client was sentenced to only eighty-seven (87) months. In addition, Truslow is currently working to reduce this client’s sentence further.
In 2008, Truslow represented a client indicted for Insurance Fraud by the South Carolina Attorney General’s Office. This client was facing a potential sentence of eight (8) years and restitution in excess of twenty thousand ($20,000.00) Dollars. Following a lengthy trial, the jury returned a verdict of Not Guilty on the Felony offense, convicting the client of only the Misdemeanor offense, resulting in a sentence of one (1) year probation, and the client was not required to pay any restitution.
In 2008, Truslow represented an individual required to register as a sex offender for life as a result of a 1979 conviction for Indecent Exposure. The individual was caught skinny dipping at the age of 19. In 1994, under South Carolina law, he was required to be placed on the sex offender registry for life. Despite a change in the law in 1996 permitting a Judge to determine whether the sex offender registry was required for Indecent Exposure based upon the circumstances of the offense, the attempt to make use of the change in the law was unsuccessful, as the trial court ruled that the change in the law was after the individual was placed on the sex offender registry, and , therefore, not retroactive to the individual's situation.
Truslow appealed this decision, and the South Carolina Court of Appeals reversed the trial court, finding that the change in the law was retroactive. As a result, the individual was removed from the sex offender registry.
In 2008, Truslow represented a client in a federal court trial involving a ten (10) count indictment pursuant to the Hobbs Act. The indictments encompassed allegations of five (5) armed robberies over a period of two (2) months. The client faced well in excess of 100 years if convicted of all counts.
Following a lengthy jury trial in federal court, the client was found not guilty on four (4) of the armed robberies, and guilty of only one (1).
In 2008, Truslow represented a client wrongly accused of Criminal Domestic Violence of a High and Aggravated Nature. The client was facing a maximum sentence of ten (10) years in prison. Following a jury trial, the client was found not guilty.
Truslow has represented clients in cases ranging from DUI and petty offenses to state and federal drug and weapon charges, homicide, burglary, larceny and fraud.
If you have been charged with a crime, Contact T. Kirk Truslow for a consultation.
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