Criminal defense
An arrest or criminal charge can affect your freedom, career, reputation, family, and immigration status. Masri Legal Group helps clients understand their rights and provides strategic defense in Michigan criminal cases.
Detroit cases usually start at the 36th District Court, and a felony moves to the Wayne County Circuit Court only after a preliminary examination.
The consultation is free and lasts 30 minutes.
Call(313) 695-2950Masri Legal Group defends clients in Michigan criminal cases. If you are not a U.S. citizen, we look at the immigration side of the case too.
This is general information about the law, not legal advice about your situation. Laws and government policies change often, so call to talk about your own case.
Who we help
- People who have been arrested or charged with a crime in Michigan
- People the police want to question, or who are suspects in an investigation
- Family members of someone who is in jail and waiting for arraignment or bond
- People with a court date, a ticket, or an outstanding warrant
- Noncitizens, including green card holders, charged with any offense, even a minor one
A conviction reaches past the courtroom
A criminal conviction can have dire consequences on a person’s life. Not only can it affect your employment and educational opportunities, but it can also be problematic for your personal life or immigration status. At Masri Legal Group, we understand this and will fight to protect you.
Know your rights before you talk to the police
If you have already been arrested, charged, or are a suspect in a police investigation, remember that you have the right to remain silent. Politely tell the police that you want to speak with a lawyer, and contact a criminal defense attorney immediately.
The Fifth Amendment protects your right to remain silent and not be a witness against yourself, and the Sixth Amendment guarantees the right to an attorney and to a fair, speedy, and public trial. Together, these rights are intended to protect the individual from government abuse.
Unfortunately, however, people are often intimidated by law enforcement and are pressed into making statements which turn out to harm them. Knowing your constitutional rights is critical to protecting you and your family. Here at Masri Legal Group we know your rights and will fight to protect them.
Arrest, arraignment, and bond
After an arrest without a warrant, a person must be brought before a judge or magistrate without unnecessary delay, generally within 48 hours. That first court appearance is the arraignment: the charges are read, you are told your rights, including the right to a lawyer, and the court decides on release.
Bond can be a personal recognizance bond (a promise to return), a cash or surety bond, or release with conditions such as no contact with a witness, a tether, or no alcohol. Breaking a bond condition can send you back to jail.
If you cannot afford a lawyer, you can ask the court to appoint one.
District court and circuit court
In Michigan, a misdemeanor is generally a crime punishable by up to one year in county jail, and a felony is one punishable by more than one year in state prison.
Some offenses, called high court misdemeanors, carry up to two years.
Misdemeanor cases stay in district court from arraignment through trial or plea.
Felony cases start in district court too: after the arraignment comes a probable cause conference and then a preliminary examination, where a judge decides whether there is enough evidence to send the case to circuit court.
If the case is bound over, it continues in the circuit court for that county, where the trial would take place.
Pleas and plea agreements
At arraignment you can plead not guilty, guilty, or, with the court’s permission, no contest. Many cases end with a plea agreement, where the prosecutor reduces or drops some charges or recommends a sentence in exchange for a plea.
Some first-time and younger defendants may qualify for programs, such as the Holmes Youthful Trainee Act, that can keep a conviction off the public record if the terms are completed.
Before accepting any plea, know exactly what it means for your record, your driver’s license, your job, and, if you are not a U.S. citizen, your immigration status.
If you are not a U.S. citizen
Some convictions can lead to detention, deportation, denial of a green card or citizenship, or a bar on returning after travel, even for green card holders who have lived here for decades.
Drug offenses, domestic violence, theft and fraud, and crimes the immigration law treats as aggravated felonies or crimes involving moral turpitude carry the most risk.
A plea that looks minor in criminal court can still count as a conviction for immigration purposes, including some deferred or diverted sentences, and a later Michigan set-aside (expungement) generally does not erase it for immigration purposes.
Defense lawyers are required to advise noncitizen clients about the deportation risk of a plea. Masri Legal Group handles both sides: criminal defense and removal defense.
Kinds of cases
- Drunk or drugged driving (OWI) and driving on a suspended license
- Retail fraud and other theft offenses
- Assault and domestic violence charges
- Drug possession charges
- Misdemeanor and felony charges in Michigan district and circuit courts
- Outstanding warrants and missed court dates
What happens
Call
Say right away if someone is in jail, has a court date, or has a warrant. Do not discuss the facts of the case with anyone else, including on a jail phone, which is recorded.
Consultation
You go over the charges, the paperwork you have, your history, and your immigration status if you are not a U.S. citizen.
Arraignment and bond
The attorney appears with you, enters a plea, and asks for reasonable bond conditions.
Reviewing the evidence
Police reports, video, lab results, and witness statements are requested and reviewed, and weak points in the case are raised by motion or at the preliminary examination.
Plea negotiation or trial
You decide, with full information, whether to accept an offer or take the case to trial.
What to gather
- Bond paperwork and any release conditions
- The ticket, complaint, warrant, or other charging papers
- Every court notice, including the next court date
- Any police report, property receipt, or paperwork you were given at the arrest
- Names and phone numbers of witnesses
- Records of any earlier arrest or case, even an old or dismissed one
- Your green card, visa, or other immigration papers, if you are not a U.S. citizen
Common questions
No. You have the right to remain silent. Say clearly and politely that you are using that right and want to speak with a lawyer, then stop talking about the case. Do not physically resist an officer, and do not lie.
The judge or magistrate reads the charges, tells you your rights, and decides bond and release conditions.
In a misdemeanor case you also enter a plea. In a felony case, the next steps are a probable cause conference and a preliminary examination in district court.
Generally, a misdemeanor is punishable by up to one year in county jail and stays in district court. A felony is punishable by more than one year in state prison and, after a preliminary examination, moves to circuit court.
Yes. Some convictions, and some pleas that do not look like convictions in state court, can lead to detention or deportation or block a green card or citizenship.
Talk to a lawyer who knows both criminal and immigration law before you accept any plea.
Usually not. A Michigan set-aside can help with jobs and housing, but immigration authorities generally still treat the original conviction as a conviction. That is why the plea itself matters so much.