Avvo top rated Michigan defense lawyer Daniel Hilf has a sold reputation for providing a consistently diligent and aggressive defense for persons charged with misdemeanor offenses by the city of Warren, Macomb County Prosecutor’s Office, or the Michigan Attorney General’s office. Both misdemeanor and felony criminal convictions can result in a huge personal consequences that can deprive an person of their liberty, educational opportunities, and career employment. When you become aware of a criminal accusation against you in Warren Michigan, it is important to find and retain an experienced defense attorney who can offer straight forward legal advice and top tier legal representation.
Misdemeanor Help from a Award Winning Warren Michigan Criminal Defense Attorney
Although misdemeanors are considered as only low severity criminal offenses, the reality is that a misdemeanor conviction carries potential lifetime consequences. Frequently charged misdemeanor offenses in Warren include: driving while license suspended, revoked, or denied (DWLS), drunk driving, retail fraud (retail fraud second degree and retail fraud third degree), domestic violence, aggravated domestic violence, assault and battery, aggravated assault, disorderly person, reckless driving, and leaving the scene of a property damage accident.
For misdemeanor offenses that are alleged to occur in Warren, Court is convened at the 37th District Court. For most misdemeanor convictions in Warren Michigan the maximum possible term of incarceration is anywhere from 90 days in jail to 1 year in the Macomb County Jail. Most misdemeanor convictions do not require the imposition of any amount of time in jail, and leave such a decision at the discretion of the presiding Judge.
In addition to the potential for jail time, a misdemeanor conviction at the 37th District Court allows your Judge to impose a term of probation, which is a form of court ordered supervision to make sure you exactly follow all the terms of the Judge’s sentence. Probation can include many unpleasant, expensive, and time consuming conditions, including: reporting to a probation officer; alcohol testing; drug testing; not going to liquor stores or bars; payment of fines/costs/restitution/fees; professional counseling (for domestic violence, substance abuse, anger management, mental health, etc.); take prescribed mental health medicines; prohibition on taking some legally prescribed medications (medical marijuana, some prescription medicines, etc.); perform many hours of community service; no contact with victims, co-Defendants, or other individuals; inability of returning to certain locations (including your home if the victim lives there); tether, etc. Failure to abide with the terms of your misdemeanor probation can result in serving a jail term and/or the imposition of more severe probationary conditions.
In addition to what the Judge can do when it comes to your sentencing, there are some criminal convictions that have separate penalties that are outside of the control of your Judge, including: the imposition of restrictions, suspensions, and revocations by the Michigan Secretary of State to your ability to lawfully drive a car (DWI, OWI, Driving While License Suspended, etc.); loss of hunting and fishing licenses (certain DNR offenses); loss of ability to work in a hospital setting caring for patients (various assaultive, drug, and theft related crimes); ability to lawfully posses and/or purchase firearms (stalking, domestic violence offenses), etc. For persons who are not United States citizens, the smart decision is to hire an experienced immigration lawyer in addition to an experienced criminal defense lawyer, because the potential US immigration law consequences can potentially ruin your American dream.
With 2 potential exceptions, all misdemeanor offenses in Warren mandate the Defendant’s appearance in front of a Judge or magistrate at the 37th District Court to address the prosecution’s allegations. One of the exceptions is something called a “plea by mail” (used by persons incarcerated in another jurisdiction, who sometimes attempt to resolve a case by sending a signed and completed plea form to the Court). The other potential exception are offenses termed “payable misdemeanors” (offenses that are specially designated so the person who received the charge is not require going to Court to handle it if full payment of the fine is timely made).
The first Court appearance in for a misdemeanor in Warren at the 37th District Court and District Courts throughout Michigan, is called an arraignment. An arraignment is a hearing where you are read the charge(s) in open Court, advised of the maximum possible penalty that the law allows, and a bond amount is determined by a magistrate or Judge. Generally, bond is decided by the arraigning magistrate or Judge after weighing whether or not you will pose any sort of danger to the community and whether or not you will appear in Court in the future if released. In addition to posting bond money, the magistrate and/or Judge can place very rigorous conditions on your bond such as drug testing, alcohol testing, tether, no contact, report to pretrial services, etc. If you do not comply with the bond conditions, the Court has the ability to revoke the bond and place you in jail. If facing a Judge in Warren the only logical choice is to immediately engage the services of a talented criminal attorney as early into your case as possible to properly advise and help you formulate the best possible defense. Your lawyer, in many instances, is allowed to “waive the arraignment” for you, and schedule a convenient pretrial date.
For all misdemeanor allegations in Warren, it is important to keep in mind that you have rights to ensure that you are treated fairly:
You and your lawyer have a few different options when it comes to your pretrial date: you can demand a trial; you can try and work out a plea agreement with the prosecution and/or Judge; you can try to obtain additional time to gather more information about your case and file motions to contest legal issues. If a conviction occurs because of a verdict reached by a Jury or Judge, or because you decided to resolve the case and plead guilty or no contest plea, it is up to the Judge to decide your sentence, after listening to the comments and arguments made by you and your lawyer.
The ultimate value of your defense goes hand and hand with the quality of your legal counsel, because your defense is only as strong as its weakest link. You can go the court appointed counsel route, or make the better choice of hiring an experienced attorney who is all in when it comes to your defense.
For your 37th District Court case, you should consider the following in regard to your choice of attorney:
When it comes to deciding upon Daniel Hilf as your misdemeanor defense attorney at the 37th District Court, the answer to all of the above listed questions is an emphatic “yes”. Responsiveness, zealousness, trustworthiness, litigation prowess, diligence, compassion, being on top of his game, client loyalty, and many years of experience are descriptive terms which all apply to criminal defense lawyer Daniel Hilf.
Hilf & Hilf, PLC attorney Daniel Hilf provides solid 37th District Court representation for the following offenses:
If you have to go to 37th District Court because of an arrest, contact us immediately for help and advice.