What should you consider when hiring a Michigan criminal defense attorney in Detroit or the suburbs for protecting your rights? The following are some of the factors: years of experience, former employment, professional memberships, academic success, standing in the legal community, and client satisfaction.
Protecting Your Rights - Client Satisfaction
Police & You: Police Tactics in Schools
Police & You: The recent events in a Richland County, South Carolina high school where a uniformed law enforcement officer forcibly removed a student from her desk and placed her in handcuffs should serve as a vivid reminder to parents and students alike that whether you agree with the officer's tactics or not, uniformed law enforcement officers are routinely in America's schools and are undoubtedly not going anywhere.
In The News: John Freeman is a Top 100 Lawyer in Michigan
IN THE NEWS: The Law Office of John Freeman, PLLC, is proud to announce that its founding member has been invited to join the ranks of the American Society of Legal Advocates. This esteemed legal organization welcomed John Freeman as their newest member on December 16, 2013, recognizing Mr. Freeman as one of the Top 100 Lawyers in Michigan.
The Justice System: Will You Get Bail?
In The Justice System, what factors does the court consider in determining whether a client will be granted bail or remain incarcerated pending the outcome of the case? For most clients, this is the single most important issue after learning they have been charged with a criminal offense. Therefore, consider carefully what experienced attorney to retain.
Police & You: Stop and Frisk Based on Race?
In this Police & You segment, we examine whether the NYPD's Stop and Frisk Policy is Racially Driven.
Sex Crimes: Child Pornography Restitution Questioned
Being convicted of sex crimes brings a heavy price, particularly in child pornography cases. Congress says that anyone convicted of child pornography must pay mandatory restitution for the total amount of the victim's losses. While federal courts cannot agree on how the law should enforce restitution payments in child pornography cases, the Sixth Circuit Federal Court of Appeals in Cincinnati, Ohio, which covers all of Michigan, Ohio, Kentucky, and Tennessee, recently remanded two $1 million-plus restitution orders to the district court to determine the extent to which individual defendants must pay restitution where they share responsibility for the victim's injuries. The cases involved men who were ordered to pay full restitution for possessing images of the same victim, although neither man created the images, nor did they have any contact with the person in the images.
Teenage and Juvenile Crime: Mandatory Life is Too Long
When you think of Teenage and Juvenile Crime it is important to remember that the Eighth Amendment of the United States Constitution prohibits the use of cruel and unusual punishment. In 2012, the Supreme Court ruled that it is unconstitutional for states to sentence juveniles offenders convicted of murder to mandatory life sentences without the possibility of parole.
Felony Consequences in The Justice System
In The Justice System, it is obvious that state and federal felony charges can have serious consequences, including substantial incarceration, parole, probation, fines and costs, attorney fees, and non-citizen deportation.
The Justice System: Three Strikes and You're Out
In The Justice System in Michigan, it now appears that Three Strikes means You're Out. Michigan's Legislature has passed new legislation cracking down on habitual felony offenders. Effective October 1, 2012, the Michigan Legislature updated the sentencing guidelines with the law more commonly known as the "Three Strikes Law."