About the Michigan Criminal Justice System

Most people think of the criminal justice system simply as a means to punish offenders for their actions, and when necessary, a way to separate “criminals” from society by putting them in jail or prison. But the criminal justice system is also subject to state and federal laws, court rules and guidelines that ensure that people accused of crimes are not randomly plucked from the streets and put into jails, and that they receive fair and equal treatment and fair sentences.

The law applies to anyone who is accused of a crime, and whether or not they are guilty or innocent, deny their charges or plead guilty, their constitutional rights still apply to them.

If there were no criminal defense attorneys to see that peoples’ constitutional rights were upheld, the police would feel free to randomly stop people and frisk them, use physical means to force confessions, or to simply break down your door and search your home without a warrant. And, without defense attorneys, people could sit in jails and prisons indefinitely waiting to go to trial, or could be sentenced to life in prison for simple crimes.

What does a criminal defense attorney do?

Laws are created to govern society and individuals, but laws don’t enforce themselves. Police are empowered by the law to protect society by arresting people suspected of committing crimes but what happens when police don’t follow the law?

One of the things defense attorneys do is to make sure that law enforcement, prosecutors and the court system do not abuse the rights of citizens. The criminal justice system is a way to hold offenders accountable, but criminal defense attorneys hold the system accountable when someone’s rights are violated.

Our attorneys work hard to see that innocent people are not punished for crimes they did not commit and to help ensure that offenders are treated by the system fairly.

How Our Defense Attorneys Help People

Our criminal defense attorneys provide many services:

• We provide unbiased legal advice. Police and prosecutors are required to do what they believe is in the best interest of the state and are biased in their practices, advice, and recommendations. We provide legal advice that is in the best interest of our clients.


• We maintain the confidentiality of our clients. Someone charged with a crime may be reluctant to tell all they know to the police for fear of incriminating themselves or someone else. You can feel free being open and honest with our defense attorneys because our interest is not in prosecuting you, but in defending you.


• We help people still under investigation. We help people avoid being arrested or charged by offering legal advocacy while someone is still under investigation.


• We advocate for our clients. We negotiate with prosecutors to try and get charges dropped or reduced, or may negotiate other terms in a plea bargain agreement in your best interest.


•  We prepare strong legal defenses for trials. When we represent defendants at trial we do our leg work first by investigating your case, examining evidence, interviewing witnesses, etc. We don’t just show up in court and wing it like many public defenders have to do—we prepare an individualized aggressive defense for you in advance.

Post-Conviction Services

Our defense lawyers are experienced in appellate law and can effectively handle all types of post-conviction services including filing motions for a new trial, appealing verdicts and sentences, and can file petitions to have a conviction set aside (record expungement).

We Take an Active Role in Your Defense

We don’t just file papers with the court and give you routine advice. We take an active role in investigating your case and preparing a personalized, powerful legal defense on your behalf.

When you are charged with a crime, you will be referred to as a “defendant” in court and from that point on the state will attempt to prove you have committed a crime to get a conviction. Sometimes, the police and prosecutors only present information to the court that will make you look guilty to improve their chances of getting a conviction. Our defense attorneys will fight to make sure all favorable evidence and testimony is considered, but will also investigate your case to see what the police missed or may have attempted to bury.

When police improperly interview witnesses, overlook evidence, or fail follow up on leads, our defense attorneys often pick up the ball. We know that the police lie, make mistakes, violates people's rights, and don’t always take the time to look at all the evidence. We thoroughly investigate a case in order to build a strong defense in response to specific charges, and, if the police violated your rights during any step of the way, we use that information to help you.

For a free initial consultation, contact our Michigan criminal defense law firm today. We take all major credit cards, visit jails, and will give your case the time and attention you deserve.

Your freedom is at stake and you can count on us to take your charges as seriously as you do.