In 2023 alone, top Macomb County criminal attorney William Barnwell has so far tried six jury trial cases. Each client walked away without a conviction.

Five of those cases resulted in Not Guilty verdicts. Of those five Not Guilty verdicts, three of the juries came back with acquittals after less than 15 minutes of deliberating. One case was a mistrial when a juror spoke negatively about the prosecutor’s case during a recess. The prosecutor then decided not to re-try the case.

The jury trials took place in:

• The 37th District Court in Warren (Two separate trials)
• The 16th Circuit Court in Mount Clemens
• The 42nd District Court in Romeo
• The 73B District Court in Huron County/Bad Axe
• The 64B District Court in Montcalm County/Stanton

The types of cases that were tried before a jury this year so far have been:

• Assault and Battery
• Domestic Violence
• Felonious Assault
• Embezzlement
• Drunk Driving 2nd Offense (DUI) (OWI) (OUIL)
• Criminal Sexual Conduct 1st Degree

Several things are noteworthy. First, many criminal defense attorneys have never tried a case in their entire careers. Others have not tried cases for years. Few cases statistically go to trial. William Barnwell is not only one of the relative few attorneys to try a case this year, but among the very few that has tried multiple cases, let alone six different cases, all with favorable outcomes. This is also for 2023 alone. Over the years, this firm has tried many cases before juries with favorable outcomes throughout the State.

While Barnwell Law is based in Macomb County, our attorney produces results throughout Metro-Detroit, throughout Michigan, and throughout Florida. While William Barnwell is very well-known by judges and prosecutors in Metro-Detroit, being “friends” with the judge or prosecutor doesn’t help you if your case might be going to trial. The only thing that matters is knowing how to try a case and how to persuade a jury.

A skilled trial attorney knows how to pick a jury. Picking a jury involves knowing which potential jurors to screen off the jury pool, and which ones to keep. It involves knowing how to ask the right questions to potential jurors during jury selection to identify biases. It involves knowing the art of cross-examination and how to connect with jurors during opening and closing statements. It’s also knowing how to tell a story, a much different story from the Prosecution, and apply the facts of a given case to the governing law. There’s much more that could be said, but suffice to say that being a skilled and proven trial attorney involves both innate skills and skills that developed and battle-tested over time. This is why William Barnwell is a top Macomb County criminal trial lawyer.

There is a reason that people throughout Michigan and Florida call our attorney when their lives and future are on the line. While Bill Barnwell has worked out countless favorable plea deals for clients, he’s not afraid to take your case to trial. He has a record of results. While no attorney can guarantee any result, and every trial is different and unique, you will want an attorney that isn’t afraid to take your case all the way.

Deciding whether or not to go to trial involves multiple factors. At the end of the day, it is the client’s decision alone whether or not to exercise their constitutional right to trial. Sometimes, it’s the only practical option when there’s nothing to be gained by a plea. Other times, there are pros and cons with going to trial that Bill will help you sort through.

When your or a loved one’s future is at stake, you don’t want an attorney to get on the job training. You want a tested and proven top Macomb County criminal defense lawyer who can take a case all the way. One who has not guilty acquittals throughout the state year after year.

Contact William Barnwell today to take charge of your defense. He can be reached day or night at (810) 394-2952. Call today.

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.

If you have been charged with a crime in Sterling Heights, your case will be heard at the 41-A District Court located at 40111 Dodge Park Road, Sterling Heights, MI 48313.

There are three Judges who preside in Sterling Heights: Judge Michael Maceroni, Judge Stephen Sierawski, and Judge Kimberly Wiegand. Attorney Bill Barnwell has appeared in front of each of these judges in both felony and misdemeanor cases and has secured favorable results for clients, including outright case dismissals. If you are being arraigned on a charge, you may first appear before a magistrate, who will inform you of the charge you are facing and set bond. If your case is a misdemeanor, it will be set for pretrial. If you are facing a felony charge, it will be set for Probable Cause Conference.

If you’re facing a misdemeanor charge, your case will be heard in its entirety at the 41-A District Court from one of the three Sterling Heights District Court Judges. A misdemeanor charge has a maximum possible jail penalty of up to one year in the county jail. Common misdemeanor charges are DUI, OWI, OUIL, disorderly conduct, reckless driving, retail fraud, assault and battery, indecent exposure, domestic violence, minor larceny, and embezzlement cases. This is not an exhaustive list, but an example of the types of cases heard in District Court.

If you are facing a felony case, such as felony drug possession, felony home invasion, or any other type of felony, your case will be arraigned in the 41-A District Court. This will be followed by a Probable Cause Conference within 14 days of your arraignment, followed by a Preliminary Exam (also known as Probable Cause Hearing) within 21 days of your arraignment. If a client “waives” their Preliminary Exam, the matter then proceeds to the 16th Circuit Court, otherwise known as the Macomb County Circuit Court. If the Preliminary Exam is held, the case may be dismissed or it will be “bound over” to the Macomb County Circuit Court for further proceedings.

Bill Barnwell of Barnwell Law has conducted preliminary exams for felony cases in the 41-A District Court that ultimately led to dismissals in the Macomb County Circuit Court, and also has had felony cases outright dismissed following Preliminary Exams in Sterling Heights.

It is important when hiring an attorney to choose legal council who has a track record of solid results in a given court room. Barnwell Law has not only appeared regularly in the 41-A District Court, but courts all around the state of Michigan. As with all Judges, each of the three Judges in this particular court have their own distinctive styles. Also, Bill has conducted jury trials in various parts of the state and is highly qualified to take your case all the way to trial.

If you have been sentenced already in Sterling Heights and have been put on probation and have been told that you are in violation of your probation, it is highly advised that you hire an attorney for your Probation Violation proceeding as well. Bill has successfully represented numerous clients facing allegations of probation violations in Sterling Heights in the 41-A District Court.

Whatever the situation may be, contact Bill anytime at (810) 394-2952 if you are facing a misdemeanor, felony, or probation violation allegation arising out of Sterling Heights. Your freedom is too important. Call an attorney who handles ONLY criminal law on a daily basis throughout Metro-Detroit and the state of Michigan.