Mary Fran Quindlen

Top rated Family Law attorney in Beaufort, South Carolina

Quindlen Law Firm, P.A.

Practice areas: Family Law, Military & Veterans Law

Licensed in South Carolina since: 1999

Education: University of South Carolina School of Law

Selected to Super Lawyers: 2025 - 2026

Virtual Appointments

Quindlen Law Firm, P.A.

121 Lady's Island Commons
PO Box 2450
Beaufort, SC 29901 Phone: 843-379-2660 Email: Mary Fran Quindlen Visit website

Mary Fran Quindlen holds two bachelor’s degrees in History and English from Rutgers University. She received her law degree from the University of South Carolina in 1998, where she was a member of Women in Law and the Phi Alpha Delta Fraternity.

Following her admission to the South Carolina Bar, Mary Fran practiced as a Marine Corps Judge Advocate serving as a Legal Assistance Attorney and Defense Counsel. She continued to serve in the United States Marine Corps Reserve until May of 2006 when she resigned her commission as a Major.

After her release from active duty in 2002, Mary Fran became an Associate at Harvey & Battey, P.A. in Beaufort, South Carolina. She worked as their family law practitioner until 2005 when she opened her own practice in Beaufort. Mary Fran’s practice is concentrated in the areas of Military and Family Law, to include custody, visitation and divorce.

Mary Fran is a Fellow in the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers, the International Academy of Family Lawyers, and serves on the South Carolina Bar’s Fee Dispute Resolution Board. Mary Fran has been qualified as an expert in South Carolina Family Courts regarding military matters related to divorce and she teaches military family law CLE’s around the country.

First Admitted: 1999, South Carolina

Professional Webpage: https://quindlenlaw.com/attorneys/mary-fran-quindlen/

Bar / Professional Activity

Member, South Carolina Women Lawyers Association 2005 - Present, 2005
Fellow, American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers 2016-Present, 2016
Fellow, International Academy of Family Lawyer 2018-Present, 2018
Master, South Carolina Family Law American Inn of Court – 2022-Present, 2022
Member, South Carolina Bar Association-Current (Board of Governor member 2023-Present), 2023
South Carolina Bar Board of Governors board member May 2023 - Present, 2023
Member, South Carolina Women’s Law Association-Current, 2024
Member, South Carolina Military Law Section-Current, 2024
Member. Hilton Head Bar Association-Current, 2024
Member, Beaufort County Bar Association-Current, 2024
Member, American Bar Association-Current, 2024
South Carolina Family Law Council 2017-Present (Chair 2024), 2024

Representative Clients

Reported cases related to expert testimony: Askins-Weaver v. Weaver -- Unpublished Opinion No.: 2020-UP-124, 2020

Special Licenses / Certifications

Certified South Carolina Family Court Mediator., 2012
Qualified by South Carolina Family Court as an expert in Division of Military Pensions and Benefits Case No.: 2000-DR-07-0321, 2012
Qualified by South Carolina Family Court as an expert in Division of Military Pensions and Benefits Case No.: 2015-DR-07-0493, 2016
Qualified by South Carolina Family Court as an expert in Division of Military Pensions and Benefits Case No.: 2016-DR-16-0068, 2016
Qualified by United States Bankruptcy Court for the District of South Carolina as an expert in Division of Military Pensions and Benefits: Case No.: 20-01791-JW, 2022

Pro bono / Community Service

South Carolina Bar Association Fee Dispute Resolution Commission – 2016-Present, 2016
Member, Advisory Board for USCB’s Center for the Performing Arts – 2017-Present, 2017
University of South Carolina Beaufort Center for the Performing Arts 2018 - Present, 2018
South Carolina Judicial Qualifications Committee – 2019-Present, 2019
Member, St. Gregory the Great Catholic Church Finance Council – 2019-Present, 2019
Member, Beaufort High School Theater Guild Volunteer - 2013-2019, 2019

Educational Background

Rutgers University -- Rutgers College Bachelor of Arts in English Bachelor of Arts in History, 1990-1994

Scholarly Lectures / Writings

Lecturer -- "Divorce and Military Personnel", Lecturer -- "Divorce and Military Personnel", American Bar Association, Section of Family Law, 2006
Contributing Author, "Every Other Weekend While in Iraq? The Question of Delegation of Visitation Rights" Roll Call, Newsletter of the Military Committee, ABA Family Law Section, Contributing Author, "Every Other Weekend While in Iraq? The Question of Delegation of Visitation Rights", Roll Call, Newsletter of the Military Committee, Servicemembers, 2007
The New Defense Finance and Accounting Service (DFAS) Regulations on Military Retirement Pay, Author, "The New Defense Finance and Accounting Service (DFAS) Regulations on Military Retirement Pay", Newsletter of the Military Committee, ABA Family Law Section, Servicemembers, 2009
2012 Editor of Roll Call, Newsletter of the Military Committee, ABA Family Law Section., Editor, Roll Call, Roll Call, Newsletter of the Military Committee, ABA Family Law Section, Servicemembers, 2012
Lecturer -- "The Military Support Minefield", Lecturer -- "The Military Support Minefield", American Bar Association, Section of Family Law, 2013
Lecturer -- "Bench and Bar", Lecturer -- "Bench and Bar", South Carolina Bar Association, 2014
Lecturer, Moderator and Course Planner -- Military Pension Division", Lecturer, Moderator and Course Planner -- Military Pension Division", South Carolina Bar Association, 2014
Lecturer -- "Military Divorce in South Carolina", Lecturer -- "Military Divorce in South Carolina", Hilton Head Bar Association, 2015
Lecturer and Moderator -- "Tips from the Bench 14th Judicial Circuit", Lecturer and Moderator -- "Tips from the Bench 14th Judicial Circuit", Beaufort County Bar Association, 2015
Lecturer -- "Military Law Issues", Lecturer -- "Military Law Issues", Hilton Head Bar Association, 2016
Lecturer -- "Changes in Military Law", Lecturer -- "Changes in Military Law", Charleston County Bar Association, 2017
Lecturer -- "Hot Tips from the Coolest Domestic Law Practitioners", Lecturer -- "Hot Tips from the Coolest Domestic Law Practitioners", South Carolina Bar Association, 2017
Lecturer -- "Changes in Military Pension Division and Howell", Lecturer -- "Changes in Military Pension Division and Howell", Beaufort County Bar Association, 2017
Lecturer - Webinar -- "Whipping up Some Justice", Lecturer - Webinar -- "Whipping up Some Justice", South Carolina Bar Association, 2017
Lecturer -- "Family Court Bench and Bar", Lecturer -- "Family Court Bench and Bar", South Carolina Bar Association, 2017
Lecturer, Moderator and Course Planner -- "It's Better in Beaufort", Lecturer, Moderator and Course Planner -- "It's Better in Beaufort", Beaufort County Bar Association, 2017
Major Changes to Military Family Law, Author, "Major Changes to Military Family Law", South Carolina Bar Family Law Section Council Newsletter, Servicemembers, 2018
Lecturer, Moderator and Course Planner -- "Family Law Essentials", Lecturer, Moderator and Course Planner -- "Family Law Essentials", South Carolina Bar Association, 2018
Lecturer -- "Hot Tips from the Coolest Domestic Law Practitioners", Lecturer -- "Hot Tips from the Coolest Domestic Law Practitioners", South Carolina Bar Association, 2018
Lecturer -- "Changes in Military Law", Lecturer -- "Changes in Military Law", Hilton Head Bar Association, 2018
Lecturer -- South Carolina Bar Convention Family Law Section, Lecturer -- South Carolina Bar Convention Family Law Section, South Carolina Bar Association, 2018
Lecturer -- "Military Family Law Basics", Lecturer -- "Military Family Law Basics", Arlington County, VA Bar Association, 2018
Lecturer -- "Military Law Updates and Howell", Lecturer -- "Military Law Updates and Howell", South Carolina Association for Justice, 2018
Guest Lecturer for Judge Bruce Williams, Guest Lecturer for Judge Bruce Williams, University of South Carolina School of Law, 2019
Lecturer -- "Military & Veteran's Law Seminar", Lecturer -- "Military & Veteran's Law Seminar", South Carolina Bar Association, 2019
Lecturer -- "Hot Tips from the Coolest Domestic Law Practitioners", Lecturer -- "Hot Tips from the Coolest Domestic Law Practitioners", South Carolina Bar Association, 2019
Lecturer, Moderator and Course Planner -- "Family Law Essentials", Lecturer, Moderator and Course Planner -- "Family Law Essentials", South Carolina Bar Association, 2019
Lecturer -- "Advanced Family Law Topics for the Bench and Bar", Lecturer -- "Advanced Family Law Topics for the Bench and Bar", South Carolina Bar Association, 2020
Lecturer, Moderator and Course Planner -- "Family Law Essentials", Lecturer, Moderator and Course Planner -- "Family Law Essentials", South Carolina Bar Association, 2020
Lecturer -- "Case Law Updates", Lecturer -- "Case Law Updates", South Carolina Association for Justice, 2020
Lecturer, Moderator and Course Planner -- "The Great Divide: Military Issues in Civilian Matters", Lecturer, Moderator and Course Planner -- "The Great Divide: Military Issues in Civilian Matters", South Carolina Bar Association, 2020
Moderator & Course Planner -- "Family Law Essentials", Moderator & Course Planner -- "Family Law Essentials", South Carolina Bar Association, 2021
Lecturer -- "Hot Tips from the Coolest Domestic Law Practitioners", Lecturer -- "Hot Tips from the Coolest Domestic Law Practitioners", South Carolina Bar Association, 2021
Lecturer -- "Family Law Intensive", Lecturer -- "Family Law Intensive", South Carolina Bar Association, 2021
Moderator & Course Planner -- "Women's Wellness and Life Changes Panel", Moderator & Course Planner -- "Women's Wellness and Life Changes Panel", University of Couth Carolina Beaufort (in partnership with Beaufort Memorial Hospital), 2022
Lecturer -- "Military & Veteran's Law Seminar", Lecturer -- "Military & Veteran's Law Seminar", South Carolina Bar Association, 2022
Lecturer -- "Hot Tips from the Coolest Domestic Law Practitioners", Lecturer -- "Hot Tips from the Coolest Domestic Law Practitioners", South Carolina Bar Association, 2022
Lecturer, Moderator and Course Planner -- "Family Law Intensive", Lecturer, Moderator and Course Planner -- "Family Law Intensive", South Carolina Bar Association, 2022
Guest Lecturer for Professor Diane Current., Guest Lecturer for Professor Diane Current, Charleston School of Law, 2022
Lecturer, Moderator and Course Planner -- "All About Alimony: An Intensive Workshop", Lecturer, Moderator and Course Planner -- "All About Alimony: An Intensive Workshop", South Carolina Bar Association, 2022
Lecturer, Moderator and Course Planner -- "Family Law Intensive", Lecturer, Moderator and Course Planner -- "Family Law Intensive", South Carolina Bar Association, 2023
Lecturer -- "In the Best Interest of the Child: Guardian ad Litem Training Update", Lecturer -- "In the Best Interest of the Child: Guardian ad Litem Training Update", South Carolina Bar Association, 2023
Moderator & Course Planner -- South Carolina Bar Convention Family Law Section, Moderator & Course Planner -- South Carolina Bar Convention Family Law Section, South Carolina Bar Association, 2024

Honors

Mary Fran was highlighted in the Sea Island Packet's weekly In Good Faith article. The Island Packet serves southern Beaufort County, highlighted by Hilton Head Island, a popular tourist area known for its lovely beaches and premier golf and tennis destinations, and Bluffton, one of the fastest growing communities in South Carolina. Beaufort County is more than 50 percent water, lying in the southeastern corner of South Carolina along the Atlantic Ocean and the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway. It is the heart of the area known as the Lowcountry and the Sea Islands and is home to the only PGA tour stop in South Carolina. The Island Packet provides the news coverage to support the region’s broad and varied demographics made up of families, young professionals, retirees, and substantial military personnel assigned to one of the region’s 3 military facilities. https://www.islandpacket.com/living/religion/article33582972.html , In Good Faith: "Find Something That You're Passionate About", Sea Island Packet, 2014
An attorney and military veteran, Mary Fran Quindlen is the founding partner at Quindlen Law, a firm she opened in 2005 in Beaufort. She concentrates her practice in the areas of military and family law, including custody, visitation and divorce. With a bachelor's degree in English and history from Rutgers University and a law degree from the University of South Carolina, Quindlen started her career as a Marine Corps judge advocate serving as a legal assistance attorney and defense counsel. She continued to serve in the Marine Corps Reserve until May 2006, when she resigned her commission as a major. Quindlen is a Fellow in the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers, the International Academy of Family Lawyers, and serves on the South Carolina Bar's Fee Dispute Resolution Board. She is qualified as an expert in South Carolina Family Courts regarding military matters related to divorce, and she teaches military family law continuing legal education classes around the country., The Power List, South Carolina Lawyers Weekly, 2023