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The firm

About Ironside Criminal Defense

Most people reach out to us after an arrest or a charge changes the course of their lives, uncertain about what comes next. At Ironside Criminal Defense, we believe everyone deserves a serious defense and a lawyer who sees a person rather than a file. We are here to help you move forward after a criminal charge.

Call now · 864-568-4750Talk to our team

Where We Came From

Ironside Criminal Defense was founded by Chris Carsten, CEO and managing attorney at Armada Law Injury Attorneys. He partnered with Sloan Ellis and Brandi Hinton, two criminal defense attorneys who spent years prosecuting cases for the state and the federal government before they began defending them. Our mission is to build a criminal defense law firm that represents the people we serve, through education and advocacy.

Our name comes from the warship, USS Constitution, fondly referred to as “Old Ironsides.” It was built to absorb what is aimed at it and keep going, so the people aboard stay protected. That's the role we aim to take in a client's life.

“Our team wears many hats. We are their counselors and we are the people they turn to when they don't know who else to call. It's not about what we do in this very moment, rather what we are doing to make your life better moving forward.”

— Brandi Hinton, Founding Partner
An Ironside attorney in the Greenville office lobby

Who We Are Today

Ironside Criminal Defense is headquartered in Greenville, and we represent people charged across the Upstate and throughout South Carolina. We handle a broad range of criminal defense cases. We treat a shoplifting charge as seriously as a federal indictment, because we understand that the consequences are what matter to the person living them. Our job is to defend the person in front of the prosecutor, not just the charge.

The attorneys

Meet your legal team

Learn more about Ironside Criminal Defense
Sloan Ellis, criminal defense attorney in Greenville county
MANAGING ATTORNEY

Sloan Ellis

  • Former federal and state prosecutor
  • FBI, DEA, IRS and Homeland Security
  • U.S. Attorney's Award for Excellence in Prosecution, 2020

Before becoming a defense attorney, Sloan Ellis spent nearly a decade as a federal and state prosecutor handling complex federal white-collar matters, drug offenses, and violent crimes. He worked directly with federal and state law enforcement agencies, including the FBI, DEA, IRS, and Homeland Security. In 2020, he received the U.S. Attorney's Award for Excellence in Prosecution.

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Brandi Hinton, defense attorney in Greenville
MANAGING ATTORNEY

Brandi Hinton

  • Former state and federal prosecutor
  • Large-scale drug trafficking prosecutions
  • U.S. Attorney's Award for Excellence in Prosecution, 2021

As a former state and federal prosecutor, Brandi Hinton has handled thousands of criminal cases, including armed robbery, domestic violence, and white-collar offenses. Her work included large-scale drug trafficking prosecutions and South Carolina's largest federal racketeering conspiracy case. In 2021, she received the U.S. Attorney's Award for Excellence in Prosecution.

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Anthony McCollum, Greenville County defense lawyer
Associate Attorney

Anthony McCollum

  • Admitted, South Carolina Bar, 2018
  • Juris Doctor, University of South Carolina Joseph F. Rice School of Law, 2017
  • B.S. in Business Administration, Accounting, The Citadel, 2012

Anthony McCollum has spent nearly eight years prosecuting criminal cases for the Thirteenth Circuit Solicitor's Office. As an Assistant Solicitor there, he handled thousands of cases, ranging from property crimes to white collar crimes, taking several of them to verdict.

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Two prosecutors

Turned defense attorneys who both handle every case we take.

Statewide

Representation from our Greenville office across the Upstate and all of South Carolina.

Free consultations

With one of our attorneys, so you know where you stand.

How We Work With You

You have enough to carry right now. We handle the case, and we make sure you understand it as it moves. Here is what that looks like if you hire us.

01

Both Attorneys On Every Case

Criminal defense is usually a one-lawyer practice. Sloan and Brandi manage every file together, so two former prosecutors are working your case instead of one.

02

You Leave The First Meeting With A Plan

By the end of the first conversation, you will know what we intend to do, what we need from you, and what happens next.

03

We Reach The Prosecutor Early

We do not wait for an offer to arrive. We make sure the solicitor, the prosecutor assigned to your case, hears your side before the file becomes the only version of you they have seen.

04

Honest About What Is Likely

We tell you what to expect before it happens, including the parts you would rather not hear. If we are not the right fit for your case, we will tell you.

The Ironside Core Values

Everything we do is guided by four values that shape how we work with clients and how we approach this field.

A team joining hands over a conference table, seen from above

Better Every Day

We help our clients move forward and become the best version of themselves, and we hold ourselves to that same standard.

Educate & Empower

Every conversation should leave you understanding more than you did before it.

KAMBE

Kick Ass Mind Blowing Experiences. Being charged with a crime is the worst week of most people's lives; how we handle it should be the one part that goes right.

Be The Change

Criminal defense as a field has stopped evolving. We are here to practice it differently.

Where We Are Headed

Ironside Criminal Defense’s roots are in Greenville, our reach is the whole state, and we intend to grow beyond it. What will not change is the way we practice. We want to be the firm clients recommend for how they were treated, not only for how the case ended.

An attorney in a suit holding a leather folder in morning light
Contact

A charge doesn't have to define your future

What comes next depends on how you move forward from it. Tell us what happened, and we will tell you what you are facing. Our consultations are free, and with an attorney.

Or call 864-568-4750
Office
21 Augusta Street, Suite C
Greenville, SC 29601
Consultations
Free, and with an attorney. Sloan or Brandi reads every inquiry.

Submitting this form does not create an attorney-client relationship, and information you send is not protected by the attorney-client privilege until we agree in writing to represent you. Please do not send confidential or time-sensitive details through this form. If your matter is urgent, call 864-568-4750.

What happens next

You will know where you stand
before you hang up

  1. 01

    You tell us what happened

    In your own words, at your own pace. We will ask questions, and some of them will be uncomfortable. Nothing you say surprises us.

  2. 02

    We tell you what you are facing

    What the charge actually means, how it is usually handled, and what is realistic. Including the parts you would rather not hear.

  3. 03

    You leave with a plan

    What we intend to do, what we need from you, and what happens on what date. You should never be surprised by a result.

  4. 04

    We start before the prosecutor does

    We make the first move, so the prosecutor reviewing your file sees a person with a story rather than a name on a warrant.

On costCost is usually the first question, and we answer it before you decide anything. If your case goes to trial, our fee does not go up.

If you have been charged,
the clock is already running.

Request a free consultation864-568-4750
Call 864-568-4750Free consultation