What actually happens between the paperwork and the courtroom

South Carolina has several layers of courts, and the first thing worth knowing is which one has your case. Summary courts, meaning magistrate and municipal courts, handle many traffic tickets, lower-level criminal charges and small civil claims. Circuit court handles more serious criminal cases in General Sessions and larger civil cases in Common Pleas. Family court is its own system.

For Horry County, a lot of that business runs through Conway, while cities like Myrtle Beach and North Myrtle Beach keep their own municipal courts. Your ticket, summons or bond paperwork normally names the court. That name tells you who to call, where to go and which public index to search.

These guides explain the order things usually happen in: first appearance, the exchange of evidence, motions, continuances, pleas and trials. They also explain the small practical steps that trip people up, like checking a date that moved or bringing the right documents. When a step depends on your facts, we say so.