Michigan Criminal Defense Lawyer Blog

Many Lawyers have a challenging job. Except for those Lawyers who represent celebrities and athletes as an Agent, or who practice Patent and Trademark law, or other, more "academic" pursuits, Lawyers, like me, who go to Court for people generally get involved in their Client's lives at a time of crisis, or stress. I've often said that my Practice and being a Funeral Director has something in common: Nobody comes in "on a roll."

I limit my Practice to 4 things: Criminal, DUI, Driver's License Restoration and Bankruptcy cases. When you think about it, pretty much anyone coming to see me is coming to have something made better. Of course, I need to make a living, and earning a salary is a part of anyone's job satisfaction, but all the money in the world won't improve the quality of your life if you hate what you do. To me, job satisfaction comes from knowing that I have actually helped better my Client's situation.

In that regard, I could never stand being involved in a Divorce case. I've never so much as handled one, and to me, it seems that too many people walk away from that situation even more unhappy than when they started. In my Criminal Practice, for example, I at least know that no matter bad my Client's predicament appears when we first met, I am almost always able to produce a material and substantial benefit in terms of the final outcome. And that's the term I use as a yardstick to measure success: Was I able to produce a material and substantial benefit for my Client?

This means more than just talking about my personal job satisfaction. In using the term "material and substantial benefit" as the measuring stick by which I judge my own success in any given case, it also becomes the criteria by which I decide if I will take a case. Inherent in that consideration is a question of honesty. I bristle at the jokes about Lawyers being like used-car salesman. Even so, I remember once, as a much younger Lawyer, calling an older Lawyer friend of mine to whom I wanted to refer a case far too complicated for me at the time. When I mentioned that he came to mind right away because he was an honest man of integrity, he joked "that has cost me a lot of money in my career." Funny as that sentiment is, it really is no joke.

To be honest, and to only be willing to take someone's money when you feel you can really produce a beneficial, tangible result means losing money. Let me cite an example from a call I received this week:

Continue reading "Detroit-Area Criminal, DUI and Driver's License Cases - "Winning" is Everything" »

As a busy Criminal Attorney, I see all kinds of situations. In a previous article, I observed that many times people begin to see "patterns" in the things they do. One such "pattern" I have seen, but have yet to write about, is when parents have to hire a Lawyer for their child. To be clear, we're not talking Juvenile cases here, we're talking about full-blown adult Court cases.

The kinds of cases that I handle can range from small things like MIP's and Trespassing to more serious Felonies, such as Controlled Substance offenses and Theft crimes. Sometimes, the person charged is as young as 17 years old, and/or still in High School.

In terms of "pattern," the Client comes to my office, usually with one or both parents in tow. The parents are NOT happy. Very often the incident involves them finding out all kinds of things about their kid they didn't know, and hoped wasn't the case.

Let's look at an example. A young man came in a while ago with a Ticket for MIP and for Possession of Marijuana. He was at a party at someone's house, the parents were gone, and things got a bit loud. Not surprisingly, the neighbor's called the Police, who showed up, saw teenagers, beer, and a party. The Police arrival ended the party, but only started the trouble.

To fast forward a bit, the kids were given breath tests, and my Client, who blew a .07, was also found to be in possession of a small amount of marijuana. He was arrested, and had to call home to be bailed out of Jail. That probably wasn't a pleasant phone call, and I imagine the ride home was not better, at least for him.

Back at home, the parents learned that many of this young man's "nice" friends were also at the party. Not that these kids were doing anything lots of others don't do, but the point was that the parents had to reevaluate what they knew, and what they thought they had known about their son, and his friends.

As it turned out, this young man was a Senior in High School, who has already been accepted to College. He was (and is) a good kid, good student, and all around nice young man. It's just that he got caught partying when he told his parents he would be at a friend's watching movies. Drinking beer and having a bag of weed on him didn't help.

Continue reading "When a Parent Needs a Lawyer for Their Child's Adult Criminal Case in Michigan" »

As a Criminal Defense Lawyer who limits his Practice to Macomb, Oakland and parts of Wayne County, you might expect that I would just tell someone looking for a local Lawyer to "hire me!" Instead, this article will focus on what I believe to be some of the more important factors to consider when looking to hire a Lawyer, so that a good, solid and friendly relationship can develop.

The process of hiring a Criminal Lawyer really begins only when someone has been arrested and/or charged with a Crime. For the person charged, as well as any close family or friends, it's usually a very stressful time, and hardly the right time to try and practice good consumer skills. Unfortunately, that sense of fear and need for help can also leave people rather vulnerable.

There really is no shortcut to shopping around. Check out Lawyer's websites; read their Blogs. See what they have written about the kind of case you have. Make phone calls.

When my family and I moved into our home about 12 years ago, we needed a new Dentist. My wife looked around, and then began calling around. As she called different offices, she was struck by one office in particular. She told me that there was simply no way such a nice receptionist could be working for a Dentist who wasn't equally as nice. And, as it turned out, she was right. I suppose it's a variation of the saying that, by and large, the disposition of a dog is a reflection of the disposition of the family that owns it.

In my office, the person who answers the phone is really the "Director of First Impressions." I really think that's a good place to start. If the person answering the phone seems cold, or more interested in their chewing gum than the reason for your call, things are not likely to improve considerably as your call gets transferred down the line.

Another sure sign that things might be a little too "rinky-dink" is having your call answered by voice mail. Maybe it's just me, but if I call a business of any kind and get the office voice mail, I just hang up and move onto the next.

In terms of Lawyers, several things should be kept in mind, especially when the people looking to hire one are in rather urgent need of help and comfort:

Continue reading "Finding the Right Lawyer for a Criminal Case in Macomb, Wayne or Oakland County" »