Legal Guides

These guides give you a plain-language overview of common Michigan criminal charges, plus family law, estate planning and estate administration, expungement, and driver’s license restoration. Click a topic below to read its guide. They are general information, not legal advice, and every case is different. For advice about your situation, schedule a free consultation with me.

Guides by Charge

Assault and Battery in MichiganWhat assault and battery mean under Michigan law, the penalties, self-defense, and options that may keep a conviction off your record.Read the guide → Disorderly Conduct in MichiganThe difference between disorderly conduct and disturbing the peace, the penalties, and how local ordinances fit in.Read the guide → Domestic Violence in MichiganWho Michigan's domestic assault law covers, being held until arraignment, no-contact bond conditions, the first-offender deferral, and firearm effects.Read the guide → Driving While License Suspended in MichiganDWLS penalties, the extra suspension time, why licenses get suspended, and the basics of getting your license back.Read the guide → Drug Possession and Use in MichiganPossession and use penalties, Michigan's adult marijuana law, and the 7411 first-offender deferral.Read the guide → Failure to Report an Accident to Fixtures in MichiganWhat Michigan law requires after hitting a fence, sign, pole, or other fixture, the penalty, related reporting duties, and next steps.Read the guide → Failure to Stop at the Scene of an Accident in MichiganWhat Michigan law requires after a crash, the penalties from property damage up to death, the 6 points, and the license consequences.Read the guide → Fleeing and Eluding in MichiganThe four felony degrees of fleeing and eluding, the license consequences, and how a felony case moves through court.Read the guide → Larceny in MichiganWhat larceny means, how dollar amounts set the penalty, restitution, and options that may keep a conviction off your record.Read the guide → Malicious Destruction of Property in MichiganMalicious destruction of property: dollar amounts and penalties, the domestic version, firearm rules, and restitution.Read the guide → Malicious Use of a Phone or Telecom Service in MichiganWhat counts as malicious use of a phone, text, or other telecom service, the penalty, and the domestic version.Read the guide → OWI in Michigan: Your First 30 DaysWhat happens in the first 30 days after a Michigan OWI arrest, including the 14-day refusal deadline and license consequences.Read the guide → Resisting and Obstructing in MichiganWhy resisting and obstructing is a felony, the higher levels for injury, and the role of lawful police commands.Read the guide → Retail Fraud in MichiganShoplifting charges by degree and dollar amount, the store's civil demand letter, and options that may keep a conviction off your record.Read the guide → Stalking and Aggravated Stalking in MichiganWhat Michigan law means by stalking, the misdemeanor and felony levels, and how these cases move through court.Read the guide → UDAA and Unauthorized Vehicle Use in MichiganThe difference between UDAA and joyriding, why both are felonies, and bond, restitution, and related costs.Read the guide → Uttering and Publishing in MichiganWhat uttering and publishing means, the related forgery charge, the felony court path, and restitution.Read the guide →

Family Law

Child Custody in MichiganLegal and physical custody, the best-interest factors judges weigh, the established custodial environment, and how the Friend of the Court fits in.Read the guide → Parenting Time in MichiganHow Michigan courts set parenting time, the factors they weigh, common schedules and conditions, and what to do when an order is not followed.Read the guide → Divorce in Michigan: Step by StepResidency rules, no-fault grounds, waiting periods, property division, spousal support, and each step from filing to the final judgment.Read the guide →

Estate Planning and Estate Administration

Estate Planning in MichiganWhat wills, trusts, financial powers of attorney, and patient advocate designations do, and how Michigan requires them to be signed.Read the guide → Estate Administration (Probate) in MichiganInformal and formal probate, small-estate options, what a personal representative does, and the creditor notice period.Read the guide →

Expungement and License Restoration

Expungement (Setting Aside a Conviction) in MichiganHow Michigan's Clean Slate law works: automatic set-aside, applying to the court, waiting periods, first-offense OWI, and limits.Read the guide → Driver's License Restoration in MichiganWho is eligible, how the Secretary of State hearing works, the evidence you need, and what happens with a restricted license and ignition interlock.Read the guide →

Legal guides are general information about Michigan law and may not reflect recent changes. They are not legal advice and do not create an attorney-client relationship.

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