Misdemeanor Lawyer West Bloomfield MI

Attorney Daniel Hilf has a sterling reputation for providing tenacious legal representation for persons charged with misdemeanor crimes by the city of West Bloomfield, Oakland County Prosecutor's Office, or the Michigan Attorney General's office. All crimes have a huge personal toll, upon conviction, that results in the potential loss of freedom, educational opportunities, career employment opportunities, and the best possible future.  When you are arrested, it becomes urgent to receive the right legal advice and dedicated legal representation from a criminal defense attorney that, unequivocally, is on your side.

Misdemeanors are lower level crimes for violations of local ordinances, some State laws, and for some Federal laws.  Commonly prosecuted misdemeanor offenses crimes (but are not limited to): driving while license suspended (DWLS), drunk driving (OWI, DWI), retail fraud, domestic violence, assault and battery, aggravated assault, disorderly person, and reckless driving.

For misdemeanor arrests in West Bloomfield, Court proceedings are convened at the 48th District Court, which is located at  4280 Telegraph Road in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan 48302.  This is really not a great place to be if you are a Defendant, because these Judges have a well known reputation of conservative and tough when it comes to setting bond and sentencing.  

For most misdemeanors prosecuted at the 48th District Court the maximum penalty that the Judges cannot go beyond is anywhere from 90 days in jail to 365 days in jail.  The minimum possible sentence is no time at all in jail, which is within the Judge's discretion to grant. 

In addition to potential jail time, a misdemeanor conviction permits the Judge to order probation, which is a form of supervision that is ordered to ensure that the Defendant complies with what the Judge orders.  Probation can include an array of required conditions that can make your life complicated, including: reporting to a probation officer; drug testing; alcohol testing; no going to bars; payment of money to the Court and restitution to the alleged victim; professional counseling (mental health, domestic violence, substance abuse, anger management, etc.); attend programs (driving school, victim impact panel, economic crimes class, etc.); take prescribed mental health medicines; prohibition on taking some legally prescribed medications (opiates, medical marijuana, etc.); perform many hours of community service;  no contact with alleged victims, co-Defendants, or other individuals; inability of returning to certain locations (including your home if the alleged victim lives there); tether, etc.   If you don't listen to the Judge and follow exactly what was ordered, you will likely see the Judge for a probation violation and potentially face jail as punishment.

There are charge specific consequences for misdemeanor convictions, outside of the Judge's control, that can result in personal hardships, including: suspension, loss and/or restrictions to your ability to legally drive an automobile (DWI, OWI, Driving While License Suspended, etc.); loss of hunting and fishing privileges (certain DNR offenses); loss of ability to work in a hospital setting caring for patients (various assaultive, drug,  and theft related crimes); inability to lawfully posses and/or purchase firearms (domestic violence, stalking), etc.  A misdemeanor conviction can cause severe and irreversible immigration problems for persons who are not United States citizens, which (depending upon the circumstances) may lead to deportation, inadmissibility (inability to lawfully return to the United States), immigration detention, and the inability to seek certain forms of waivers and immigration relief.  Always hire an immigration lawyer if this may be applicable to you.

In Courts across Michigan, most misdemeanors require the Defendant to physically appear at for all scheduled Court dates.  One possible exception (at the discretion of the Court) is for persons that are incarcerated in another jurisdiction, who sometimes have the ability to resolve the case by means of a "plea by mail".  Another exception for certain low level misdemeanors called "payable misdemeanors, allow the Defendant (at the discretion of the Court) to resolve a case through the payment of a set fine.  Failure to attend Court dates as directed usually results in the forfeiture of any bond posted and the issuance of a bench warrant.

An "arraignment" is the term for the very first Court date, which is a proceeding before a magistrate or Judge where you are informed of the charge against you, the maximum possible penalty the charge allows, and a bond amount is set.  The bond amount can range anywhere from a promise to appear (personal bond) to having to post an amount of money, which is determined by the Judge or magistrate after considering whether or not you pose a risk of danger to members of the community and whether or not you will appear in the future to address the charge.  The Judge can place strict requirements on your bond that affect your liberty and pocketbook (tether, drug testing, alcohol testing, no contact, etc.),     If the Judge finds out about any failure to comply with bond conditions, the Judge is permitted to revoke the bond and remand you to custody.  For 48th District Court cases, the smart and wise decision is to immediately hire a misdemeanor defense lawyer as early into the case as possible to defend you.  

For all misdemeanor offenses you have essential Constitutional rights that you are entitled to fully exercise in court, which includes:

• the right to hire defense counsel, and the right to seek a public defender if your are indigent;
• the right to be properly notified of the charge or charges and the maximum possible penalty sufficiently in advance of trial;
• trial due process trial related rights (presumed innocent of the crime, prosecution has burden of proof of beyond a reasonable doubt, jury trial (can have a bench trial if the prosecution, Judge and you all agree), right to cross examine witnesses, right to subpoena witnesses, right to remain silent, right to testify; appellate rights).

Your defense only has strength if you have experienced defense counsel to help you assert your rights, because your defense is only as strong as its weakest link.  You can go the court appointed attorney route if you are poor, but it is often goes without saying that often in life you get exactly what you pay for.  

There are a few key questions that you should ponder before deciding upon legal representation at the 48th District Court:

• Does the misdemeanor lawyer working on my behalf have many years courtroom experience and success defending misdemeanor cases?;
• Does the misdemeanor lawyer working on my behalf answer my questions and concerns in a well thought out manner?;
• Does the misdemeanor lawyer working on my behalf have a local office, where I can schedule an appointment with my lawyer to discuss my case in private?;
• Does the misdemeanor lawyer working on my behalf have a solid reputation in the legal community and solid reviews?;
• Does the misdemeanor lawyer working on my behalf have legal acumen, jury trial experience, and the ability to push for the best possible results?;
• Does the misdemeanor lawyer working on my behalf appear frequently at the Court and before my assigned Judge?;
• Does the misdemeanor lawyer working on my behalf make payment arrangements to help me afford the lawyer's services, or accept credit card and debit card payments?.

When it comes to lawyer Daniel Hilf of Hilf & Hilf, PLC, the answer to all of these questions is a solid "yes".  Lawyer Daniel Hilf provides a results oriented compassionate defense at the 48th District Court for all charges, including:

• Domestic Violence
• Drug Offenses
• Other Criminal Offenses
• Sex Offenses
• Criminal Traffic
• Retail Fraud
• Probation Violation

The time to act is now, so contact us for your best defense.