Experienced Domestic Violence Lawyer

A big key to fighting a domestic violence case is having an experienced domestic violence lawyer. These cases are extremely common and many lawyers handle them, but not many lawyers have won these cases at trial. I have taken many assaultive cases to trial and have gotten Not Guilty verdicts. When I take your case, it means I won’t be afraid to take it to trial, if that’s what would be best for your case. While taking the plea might be an easy thing to do, it’s not always the right thing to do. Every case, including yours, is unique and will get the care and attention it deserves.

Penalties for Domestic Violence in Michigan

Domestic Violence cases are serious charges. Penalties include:

• Up to 93 days in jail for a first offense
• Up to one year in jail for a second offense
• Up to five years in prison for a third offense
• Up to ten years in prison if the domestic case includes Assault with Intent to Do Great Bodily Harm Less than Murder/Strangulation
• Additional years in prison for habitual felony offenses
• Loss of firearm rights
• No-Contact Orders with your own home that can limit your ability to see your children
• Extensive probation including 26 week or 52 week domestic violence classes
• Anger Management
• Burdensome court fines and costs
• Immigration consequences for non-US citizens.

Can You Help Me Keep a Domestic Violence Charge Off My Record?

If it’s your first offense for misdemeanor domestic violence the Prosecutor may offer you a “great deal” that will “keep it off your record.” But there will always be a “private” record of the offense. You might hear this referred to as a “769.4a” plea or a “non-public deferral.” This refers the statute in Michigan that authorizes these pleas (MCL 769.4a). If a person pleads guilty to a first offense domestic violence and has no prior assaultive convictions of any time the court will defer a judgement of guilty, seal the matter from general public records, and it’s not “technically” considered a conviction under Michigan law.

While it won’t usually be publicly accessible to most background checks, it will be seen on other more sensitive background checks. And the police and prosecutors will always know about it. Furthermore, if you violate probation at any time the matter can always go back “on your record” and result in a public conviction. If you were to ever commit another act of domestic violence, you would still be charged with a 2nd offense with a maximum length of jail of up to one year, even though your first offense was “off your record.”

Furthermore, a non-public domestic violence charge might help you get a Michigan CPL again, but will still affect your federal firearm rights. All that to say, a 769.4a plea to “keep it off your record” is a great plea if the case against you is strong. But it’s not always so great if the case against you is weak. This is why you need to discuss your case with a top Macomb County domestic violence lawyer.

So Should I Just Try and Keep It Off My Record?

The best way to “keep it off your record” is to outright win the case. By that I mean get a Not Guilty trial verdict. While the non-public plea is a great option for strong prosecution cases, it’s not always the best option. While no attorney can guarantee a trial result, a Not Guilty verdict means no private record, no probation, no months and months of domestic violence and anger management classes, etc. Sometimes clients are quick to want to “take the plea” even though there exists no physical evidence, or exists a very good self-defense claim, and the person making the accusation is lying. Sometimes it comes down to a “he-said/they-said” type case and is hard for the prosecution to prove.

In fact, many prosecutors hate taking these cases to trial because their cases fall apart frequently.

Call Today!

Call Barnwell Law today to hire a top Macomb County domestic violence lawyer . I have had countless domestic violence cases dismissed because they fell apart prior to trial, or have outright won the cases before a jury. Other times, the case against you is strong and the risk of jail or prison can be a very real risk, but I will help you minimize the damage to your future. Whatever your situation, call today at (810) 394-2952 and let’s discuss your case.

One of my favorite courts to practice in is the 44th District Court that is located in Royal Oak. The 44th District Court handles cases that arise in Royal Oak and Berkley. While I have practiced extensively in courts around Michigan, Royal Oak is considered one of my “home bases.” One of my offices is located directly across the street from the Court and I have served the community myself as a prominent local leader for over 11 years. Furthermore, as a criminal defense attorney I have taken cases to jury trials and have prevailed in Royal Oak. All of this combined brings a level of respect from the Judges, prosecutors, and other court staff. My relationships with all parties in Royal Oak and Berkley is very warm, but my firm has absolutely no problem taking a case all the way and fighting as hard as needed to get a desired result. 

Because Royal Oak is a destination city for socializing, many of the cases we see are alcohol related. I have represented countless DUI and OWI clients in Royal Oak and Berkley. Other common misdemeanor charges include Public Intoxication, various driving misdemeanors such as Driving While License Suspended, Retail Fraud, Assault and Battery, and Domestic Violence to name just a few.

I also have represented many clients on serious felony charges with very good results. If your case is charged as a felony, it will begin in Royal Oak, but will eventually make its way up to the Oakland County Circuit Court that is located in Pontiac, unless the case is dismissed or there is a misdemeanor resolution. Felony cases that go to trial do not go to trial in Royal Oak but will be heard up in Circuit Court. Misdemeanor cases, on the other hand, are fully heard in Royal Oak and if there was a trial, the trial would be in Royal Oak as well. Common felony cases in Royal Oak can include, felony drunk driving, home invasion, drug crimes such as possession or delivery of heroin, cocaine, methamphetamine, and other controlled substances, felonious assault, breaking and entering, and many others. 

While I have gotten clients many amazing outcomes in courts that I rarely practice in, there is certainly a benefit to having an attorney who is extremely familiar with a given court and knows the lay of the land well. If you are charged with a crime in Royal Oak or Berkely, it will either be handled by a local city prosecutor or by the Oakland County Prosecutor’s Office. The case will either be heard by Judge Jamie Wittenberg or Judge Derek Meinecke. Both are excellent Judges though they have different styles. I have a great relationship with each and think highly of them both. Both have treated my clients very fairly in the past.

If you are facing a criminal case of any kind arising out of Royal Oak or Berkley and need a highly experienced criminal defense lawyer, call me immediately at (810) 394-2952. Barnwell Law has consistently secured excellent results out of Royal Oak and countless other courts. 

In my practice, I have defended a number of cases involving Indecent Exposure or Aggravated Indecent Exposure. Recently I had positive resolutions in the felony cases of Aggravated Indecent Exposure case in St. Clair County, Macomb County, Oakland County and Wayne County. These cases originated out of Port Huron, Warren, Ferndale, and Detroit. I have handled these types of cases in multiple counties and other cities as well. The difference between the two cases are significant. An “Aggravated” offense carries a two-year maximum penalty and is treated in a procedural fashion as a felony. A regular Indecent Exposure is a serious misdemeanor that carries up to one-year in the county jail.

Depending upon certain prior offenses, a conviction for Indecent Exposure or Aggravated Indecent exposure could land a client on the SORA Registry (Sex Offender Registry Act).
Most Courts and Probation offices look at any offense involving sexuality with a particular ire. Sometimes these types of cases can be wrongly charged. Other times, client’s might be dealing with tough issues that bring them to a point where they act out in ways where they otherwise wouldn’t have acted out.

With years of experience as a counselor and non-profit leader, I’ve learned never to judge people who have made mistakes, who are contrite, and are willing to take responsibility.

The bottom line is many Indecent cases can be beat if the Prosecution cannot meet their burden of proof.

But many other times, the Prosecution has a strong case. And I, as the defense attorney, have to assist the client in getting the help they need to avoid a jail term.

Also, for many offenders, sometimes the case can be wiped off a client’s public record after a successful term of probation.

Many possibilities exist depending upon the facts and circumstances. The “Barnwell Defense” will be able to judge what is the best approach. Call an attorney who not only has experience with these cases, but will look at you as a human being, and not condemn you. An attorney who will help paint a broader picture to the Court that the police report and Probation Department often don’t see.

If you are facing a charge of Indecent or Aggravated Indecent Exposure, contact Barnwell Law today at (810) 394-2952 for your free consultation and to begin formulating an effective defense.

Being charged with drunk driving, DUI, OWI, OUIL, or whatever other term one wants to call it, is a very scary situation for anyone involved. It’s why you need an experienced criminal defense attorney that will take your case very seriously from start to finish. This is true whether your case is originating out of Warren, MI, Macomb County, or anywhere else in Michigan. There are several different types of Drunk Driving cases:

1. DUI or OWI first offense– This carries with it a maximum possible penalty of 93 days in jail, fines, costs, and driver’s license sanctions.
2. DUI or OWI second offense — This can get confusing. If you have been charged with a second DUI or OWI offense in a 7 year time-frame you will face a 2nd offense. This carries a possibility of up to one year in the county jail, with a mandatory minimum of 5 days in jail, fines, costs, and a mandatory license revocation for one-year. However, if you pick up a second DUI or OWI charge in Warren or Macomb County (or anywhere else in Michigan) outside of the seven year window it will be charged as a first offense, but the court will view it for all practical purposes as a second offense. Meaning they might not be able to impose as much jail time or as stringent license sanctions, but they can and will make your life very difficult if you don’t handle the case correctly.
3. DUI or OWI third offense — This is where matters can get very serious. A third offense at any point in a person’s lifetime is a mandatory felony. Even if the offenses are spaced apart by 10 or 20 years each. For a felony drunk driving or OWI and DUI offense, there is a mandatory minimum of 30 days in the county jail and up to 5 years in the state prison, along with fines, costs, license sanctions, etc.
4. There’s also what is known as a “High BAC” drunk driving and DUI/OWI charge. In Michigan, the legal limit for intoxication is .08. A level of .17 is considered a “High BAC” offense or what is commonly known as “super-drunk.” The higher the BAC, the more concerned the court is going to be. A High BAC or superdrunk charge carries a maximum of 180 days in the county jail (even for a first offense), fines, costs, license sanctions, etc.
5. Here’s another secret many people don’t realize: You don’t have to be at a .08 to be arrested for drunk driving. If you have any amount of alcohol in your system, and an officer subjectively determines you are impaired by the alcohol, you can be charged with something called Operating While Visibly Impaired. Our firm has seen individuals with BAC counts as low as .03 charged with OWVI. An OWVI charge carries with it a maximum of 93 days in jail, fines, costs, and license sanctions.
6. A person can also be charged with Operating Under the Influence of Drugs. For instance, if a person has any amount of marijuana or other drug in their system, even a mere 2 nanograms, and an officer finds this through a blood draw, a person can be charged with drunk driving — even if they were not even objectively impaired! These types of cases often times require the assistance of expert witnesses, but they can be beat.

All of the above doesn’t even begin to get into the collateral consequences of license restrictions for these various offenses, and possible vehicle immobilization, interlock devices, driver responsibility fees, and other consequences which we will cover in future posts.

The point is this: Drunk driving charges are taken very seriously. If are being charged in Warren, Macomb County, or any city or county in Michigan, you need an attorney who is familiar with that court system and handling DUI cases. Even a first offense can result in jail in certain jurisdictions in Michigan. In Macomb County, jail is possible, but unlikely with a strong defense (Note: Certain district courts in Oakland County and other areas are willing to impose jail on a first offense). Jail can even be avoided on a “Super-drunk” or High BAC case with an effective defense. On a second offense, many courts will impose the statutory minimum of 5 days in jail. Certain courts in Macomb County will waive the five days in lieu of community service. On a third offense, 30 days of county jail is a guarantee unless in very rare cases where it can be pled down to a 2nd offense. But there is a big difference between 30 days and five years, which is why a strong defense is so critically important.

DUI and drunk driving defense is a category all unto itself in criminal law. An effective criminal defense attorney does not automatically assume their client is guilty. They can and should get all relevant discovery. This includes police dash cam videos, records of the DataMaster calibration logs used to determine a person’s BAC, understand the science behind blood and breath testing, investigate whether police were justified in the stop, have expert witnesses available to challenge the blood and breath evidence, etc.

Bill Barnwell of Barnwell Law takes all of those measures, including looking at any other applicable defenses (i.e. whether the defendant was actually operating the vehicle under the law). If your case can be beat through a challenge of the evidence, or through a jury trial, our firm will go the extra mile and fight for an acquittal.

However, the vast majority of DUI cases result in a plea. This isn’t because a good defense attorney is lazy. It’s because they have gone through all the possible evidentiary challenges and have determined that your DUI or OWI case is best handled as a “damage control” case. This still requires much hard work to secure a favorable outcome. Many attorneys will just advise their clients to go to AA while their case is pending. Our Attorney has years of experience in the field of counseling and mental health, including helping those with addictions. By employing the Barnwell Defense, your case will have a far better chance at securing a favorable outcome than by employing a standard “Meet em’ and plead em” defense.

If you are going to pay your hard earned money to hopefully maintain your freedom and driving privileges, spend your money on an attorney who knows how to both handle a successful jury trial and do proper damage control if your case is best suited for a plea.

Each Judge in Warren  in the 37th District Court, and every other District Court and Circuit Court in Macomb County has their own style of handling cases. Our Attorney has appeared in front of every single one of them. Call Bill Barnwell of Barnwell Law today at (810) 394-2952 to discuss your drunk driving, DUI, OWI, or any other criminal law or criminal defense matter.

Click here to view Barnwell Law’s home page and receive critical contact information. Bill Barnwell of Barnwell Law can be reached directly at all hours at (810) 394-2952.

If you’ve been charged with a misdemeanor or felony case in the city of Ann Arbor, your case could begin in one of several locations. One of those locations is the 15th District Court, which is located in Downtown Ann Arbor. The court is located at 301 E. Huron St. P.O. Box 8650, Ann Arbor, MI 480107. While Ann Arbor and Wasthenaw County are considered to be one of the more “liberal” areas of the state, this does not mean that allegations of criminal activity are taken likely. In fact, they are taken very seriously. But the good news is with skilled and experienced defense counsel, your case can possibly be won, dismissed, or at the very least, a favorable plea resolution that will put you or your loved one in a much, much better position than they were when previously charged.

Since Ann Arbor is one of the biggest cities in Michigan, and is a well-known “college town”, as well as tourist destination, the 15th District Court is a busy court. Many drug and alcohol-related charges originate in Ann Arbor. These include DUI’s, OWI’s, OUIL’s, drunk-driving cases, operating while visibly impaired, and other common legal and popular descriptions for alcohol-related offenses. If you are a first-time alcohol offender, avoiding jail is very possible. However, how smart of a defense is employed can play a large part in how severe of a probation is issued. Clients who follow the “Barnwell Defense” will approach their case in one of two ways: Look for holes and weaknesses in the case and seek a dismissal via a motion or a jury trial, or engage in very proactive measures that will greatly help at sentencing and during probation.

If you are facing a probation violation for an alcohol-related offense, it is imperative that you contact a skilled defense attorney right away.

A first offense for an OWI is a maximum possible penalty of 93 days in jail and/or a jail term followed by probation, fines and costs, license sanctions, and fees collected by the Michigan Secretary of State (unless one’s blood alcohol content is .17 or higher, considered a “Super Drunk” charge which elevates the offense to a 180 day maximum jail penalty with enhanced fines and costs).

A second offense within a seven year time period is even more severe: It results in up to a one-year in the Washtenaw County Jail, a mandatory one-year driver’s license revocation, fines and costs, and fees to the Michigan Secretary of State. If the offense happens outside of the seven year window, it will technically be charged as a “first offense” but will be treated in many ways like a second offense for all practical purposes.  A second offense carries a minimum of 5 days in jail up to one year in the county jail. Obviously, there is a big difference between 5 days (which can even sometimes be waived) and 365 days. Judges have broad discretion of how they sentence in District Court, which is why it is all the more important to hire a skilled defense attorney for any second-offense DUI or OWI drunk driving case.

Worse, if a person is charged with a third offense at ANY point in their lifetimes, even if the three offenses are 40 years apart, this results in an automatic felony charge with a minimum of 30 days in the Wasthenaw County Jail and up to 5 years in the state prison. Again, there is a big difference between a month and 5 years.

While misdemeanor cases stay in District Court, a felony DUI or drunk driving 3rd offense will eventually begin the District Court for a Probable Cause Conference and a Preliminary Examination. Unless dismissed the case will eventually be heard in the Washtenaw County Trial Court. If you don’t know what these legal terms mean, don’t worry, that’s what you hire an attorney for: To guide you through the confusing process and carry the load for you.

A felony charge is inherently more complicated than a misdemeanor charge of a first or second offense, but even for a first offense, these cases can be expensive, time-consuming, scary, and exhausting. This is why you want to hire an experienced criminal defense attorney who is familiar with the courts in Ann Arbor and Washtenaw County. But with skilled, dedicated, and experienced defense counsel, you can have confidence that your Ann Arbor or Wasthenaw County case is being given the attention it deserves.

The purpose here is to educate you, not to scare you. Do not hire an attorney whose motivation is to scare you. It’s one thing to know what you’re up against, it’s another to live in fear. Having a defense attorney standing by your side ensures you don’t have to live in constant fear.

Other common cases heard in the 15th District Court in Ann Arbor are drug cases, including marijuana-related offenses, domestic violence, retail fraud, driving while license suspended, assault and battery, larceny, embezzlement, and various other misdemeanor charges that we will discuss more in the future. Note that Barnwell Law is an exclusive criminal defense firm and handles ALL misdemeanors in felonies in Ann Arbor and Washtenaw County and has a record of success.

The takeaway is whether you are being charged with a misdemeanor or a felony case in Ann Arbor or Washtenaw County, contact a highly-rated criminal defense attorney who will stand by your side. Call Barnwell Law today at (810) 394-2952.