Inside Southern Charm's Craig Conover Legal Career and Business Empire

Southern Charm star Craig Conover's relationship with the law profession has had its ups and downs during his time on the Bravo reality TV show. After debuting in the first season, Craig talked about his dreams of becoming a lawyer. However, his aspirations changed. With Season 10 of Southern Charm approaching in December 2024, Craig is a different person from his first season.

The audience tuned in to Southern Charm to see Craig attend classes at the Charleston School of Law and believed he was on track to pass the exam at the end of the season. However, in 2016, his castmates, led by Shep Rose, questioned his career and his motives.

During a 2016 episode of Southern Charm, Whitney Sudler-Smith asked Craig if he had really graduated from law school. Although he looked taken back, Craig showed him the photos from his graduation. It later turned out that he walked his graduation but did not pass the Bar until years later.

"I don't lie anymore, obviously. I took an oath in the state of South Carolina to be honest and truthful. And, yeah, I don't lie," he said during a 2018 Southern Charm After Show episode.

Inside Craig Conover's Lies About Being A Lawyer And Passing The Bar Exam

After receiving his Bachelor of Science degree in 2010 from the College of Charleston, Craig Conover attended the Charleston School of Law. It was later revealed to Bravo that the reality TV star never received his diploma because he hadn't turned in his thesis before the graduation ceremony.

For years, Craig's failure to take the Bar exam was a leading plotline on Southern Charm. While it all seemed like he was on track to getting his law degree and working as a paralegal for a Charleston firm, his castmates soon noticed that he wasn't making any changes or progressing in his career.

Shep Rose admitted he felt frustrated by Craig and the progress of his law career. "I was there during the application, and we stuffed it into an envelope, and it wasn't until later when I asked myself where that letter had gone to?"

During the 2016 Season 3 reunion special, Craig finally admitted that he never actually took the Bar exam and is not a licensed attorney. This is because he wasn’t eligible to graduate as he never submitted his final paper during law school.

According to the Daily Dish in April 2017, Craig wrote his 50-page thesis on parental rights and unmarried fathers after the reunion and received his degree.

• He was officially sworn into the South Carolina Bar in February 2018.

"I'm just, I'm so happy for it to be finally be over," Craig told The Daily Dish after receiving the exam results.

It's a huge, huge, huge relief. Obviously, I'm excited for my future, but also just for everyone to shut up and leave me alone and let me live my life.

He also noted his journey in photos from 2018 when he was sworn into the South Carolina Bar. “I was fortunate to pass the first time but there’s nothing wrong with taking the Bar as many times as you need."

What Went Wrong With Craig Conover's Legal Career

Craig's former boss, Akim Anastopoulo, noted during Season 3, Episode 10 that he felt "deep down" that Craig Conover had no interest in being a lawyer. “How can I give you advice if you still haven’t done anything to further your career?”

• Although his boss was uncertain about his legal interests, Craig opened his own law firm in March 2021.

During an appearance on the Not Skinny But Not Fat podcast, Craig opened up his career in personal injury. “Everyone liked to just dismiss the whole law school thing. And that’s why when people call me stupid and everything, I’m like, ‘passing the Bar on the first try wasn’t the easiest thing for most people.'”

Although he never officially announced the company's closure, Reddit users noticed its social media pages stopped posting content, and Craig focused his energy on a different business in a very different sector.

Craig Conover's Massive Business Empire

After years of feeling unfulfilled professionally, Craig's happiness and inspiration came from an unlikely place. He found his old high school sewing kit and rediscovered his love for sewing.

After his breakup with Naomie Olindo, he turned to sewing as an escape, and his company Sewing Down South was created. "I knew we had something, but I wasn't sure what direction to go in and I had really no guidance."

Since Craig started the decorative pillow brand in 2018, Bravo shared that it has become an eight-figure business with multiple locations in the U.S. During the Season 8 reunion, Craig announced he took Sewing Down South to an eight-figure business and placed the bland inside Kroger stores across the country — all within just four years. "We have 30 employees with health insurance."

Don’t let anyone ever tell you what your passion is, and don’t be scared to chase it just because it’s not a societal norm.

"It took me until I was 30 years old to start this. It’s never too late to go out and do what you want." he proudly told Bravo in 2020.

Craig's Journey to Sewing Success:

• On Season 5 of Southern Charm, Craig received a custom order from Charleston’s grande dame, Patricia Altschul. Despite some struggles to meet the deadline, the pair worked together on a collection that opened on her website.
• In 2020, Craig collaborated with HSN for a pillow collection, which expanded to include apparel and candles.
• He opened the Sewing Down South flagship store on King Street in Charleston in 2021.
• In 2023, Craig teamed up with his girlfriend Paige DeSorbo for the monochromatic The Paige Collection.

In his 2022 book Pillow Talk: What’s Wrong with My Sewing?, he explained how this unlikely change came about and how his hobby changed "his life for the better."

After growing up in Delaware where he was bullied as a child, he eventually found himself after moving to Charleston for law school. The area gave him "the direction he needed" and he spent years trying to figure out his passion.

In addition to Sewing Down South, Craig and his Southern Charm co-star Austen Kroll invested in the NYC eatery Carriage House, as reported by Bravo. The two friends are looking to open more venues in the Charleston area. In 2019, Craig invested in Southern Charm and Southern Hospitality cast member Leva Bonaparte's Mexican-Japanese fusion restaurant, Mesu.

He told Bravo that he grew up around restaurants and bartending, so he is interested in becoming involved in that industry. "It has always been a goal of mine to become involved in the food and beverage industry once I was more established."

Today, on top of his Sewing Down South empire, Craig is now focused on his podcast, Pillows & Beer (which includes live shows), and opening a new restaurant in Charleston called By the Way (BTW).

Season 10 of Southern Charm premieres Dec. 5, 2024, on Bravo.