Criminal Defense

I prefer to work with the criminally accused, both adult and juvenile, and parents accused of abuse and/or neglect.

Criminal Defense

• Aiding, Abetting, Accessory, Conspiracy
• Appeals
• Capital Crimes/Capital Cases
• Felonies
• Grand Jury Proceedings
• Juvenile Crimes
• Truancy
• Misdemeanors
• Perjury
• Plea Negotiation
• Search & Seizure

Abuse

• Child Abuse
• Domestic Violence
• Elder Abuse

Automotive

• DUI
• Felony Auto Accidents
• Open Container
• Driving with a Suspended License
• Driving without a License
• DWI

Criminal Records

• Expungement or Expunction

Drugs

• Drug Cultivation & Manufacturing
• Drug Possession
• Intent to Distribute Drugs
• Intent to Sell Drugs
• Medical Marijuana

Firearms & Weapons

• Constitutional Rights Defense
• Illegal Possession or Transportation
• Other Weapons & Devices

Fraud & Financial Crimes

• Bank Fraud
• Embezzlement
• Extortion
• Forgery
• Identity Theft

Property Crimes

• Arson
• Burglary
• Embezzlement
• Larceny
• Shoplifting
• Theft
• Trespass
• Vandalism

Sex Crimes

• Abduction
• Child Abuse
• Child Pornography
• Indecent Exposure
• Prostitution, Solicitation, & Pandering
• Rape
• Sexual Assault
• Stalking
• Trafficking in Women

Violent Crimes

• Assault & Battery
• Domestic Violence
• Extortion
• Kidnapping
• Manslaughter
• Murder
• Robbery

MI, May 1993
Bar Number: P48042

All Michigan State Courts, Eastern and Western Districts of Michigan U.S. District Courts (Federal).

Michigan State Bar (criminal and children's law sections); Criminal Defense Attorneys of Michigan (CDAM) board member and education committee member; Women's Justice and Clemency Project (legal director); Professional Advisory Board - Coalition for a Useful Registry; Washtenaw County Bar Association (criminal and juvenile law sections).

I attend and present at CDAM's bi-annual trainings. I present at the Juvenile Law Section of the Washtenaw County Bar's annual training (If I do not present, I attend). I also attend and/or facilitate at the annual Trial Practice College presented by CDAM and Thomas Cooley Law School.

• "Battered Women, Homicide Convictions and Sentencing: The Case for Clemency", Jacobsen, C.; Mizga, K.; D'Orio, L. Hastings Women's Law Journal, University of California, Hastings College of the Law, O'Brien Center for Scholarly Publications, Winter 2007, Volume 18, Number 1.

• "Survivors of Domestic Violence Not Given Equal Protection in Oakland County", Right To Counsel, Spring 2003.

• Clemency for Battered Women in Michigan: A Manual for Attorneys, Law Students and Social Workers, edited by Lynn B. D'Orio and Lore A. Rogers, published by the ACLU Michigan Battered Women's Clemency Project, October 1998. See: www.sado.org/clemency.htm for manual without appendix.

• "Attorney General Investigation of Defense Counsel's Knowledge of Inmate Client's Assets", Criminal Defense Newsletter, vol. 19, no. 3, Dec. 1995.

• "False Allegations of Child Sex Abuse: A Case in Point", Res Ipsa Loquitur, vol. 27, no. 6 January 1995 (reprinted with permission).

• "False Allegations of Child Sex Abuse: A Case in Point", Criminal Defense Newsletter, vol. 18, no. 1, Oct. 1994.

• "What To Do When the Charge Is Criminal Sexual Conduct and the Complainant is HIV Positive?" Michigan Bar Journal, vol. 72, no. 9, Sept. 1993.

2008 - Wayne County, Michigan charge: First Degree Murder
This was a seven-day trial and the first degree murder charge was dismissed on a motion for directed verdict. The defendant was convicted of second degree murder. A motion for a new trial is pending.

People v. James Bellville, Washtenaw County
Mr. Bellville received a harsh sentence that put him in prison. I went to the Court of Appeals and won a re-sentencing which released him from prison.

People v M. Kyle, Washtenaw County 05-1736-FH
Mr. Kyle was charged with first degree home invasion, felony firearm and felony in possession of a firearm. After a preliminary examination, the home invasion charge was dismissed by the District Court Judge. The remaining gun charges were dismissed in the Circuit Court after I filed a motion to quash.

Lickfeldt v. MDOC
This case involved a plaintiff prisoner serving a string of consecutive sentences beginning with two 14-year maximums. This was followed by a five-year maximum for prison escape, and other subsequent sentences. Afterward, the plaintiff was entitled to termination of the initial 14-year maximum sentences that have chronologically passed. The original 14-year maximum terms she was serving at the time of her prison escape were terminated, and the trial court correctly ordered the Department of Corrections to terminate those sentences. The Department of Corrections may, but is not required to terminate any of the other sentences in its discretion after the minimum term has been served.

1

Michigan

Our firm was established May 1993.

My practice is almost exclusively in the areas of criminal defense (on the trial, appellate, and post-appellate levels) and juvenile justice (on the trial level) where I handle abuse and neglect as well as delinquency cases.

• Baker College, Flint, Michigan
Adjunct Professor, March 2003 to June 2006
I taught Introduction to Corrections, Law and Corrections and Juvenile Corrections to students pursuing careers in corrections and law enforcement. I wrote the curriculum for the Law and Corrections class in January 2004.

See: www.baker.edu

• State Appellate Defender Office, Detroit, Michigan
Law Clerk, January 1992 to February 1993.

I researched and wrote appellate briefs for indigent criminal defendants.

• Criminal Defense Attorneys of Michigan
Board of Directors, 2003 to present. Education committee, 2002 to present, member, 1993 to present.

As a member of CDAM, I work to promote expertise in the area of criminal law, constitutional law and procedure and to improve trial, administrative and appellate advocacy. As a member of the education committee, I helped establish CDAM's first annual Trial Techniques Training College held in conjunction with Thomas Cooley Law School.

See: www.cdam.net

• Professional Advisory Board, Coalition for a Useful Registry
January 2008 to present.
I provide advice to the Coalition in order to improve the Sex Offender Registry. The goal is to insure that only truly dangerous sex offenders are listed, thus giving the public a true sense of security.

• Michigan Women's Justice and Clemency Project (Formerly, Battered Women's Clemency Project)
Legal director, 1994 to present. Member since 1990.
The Clemency Project seeks freedom for women who fought back against their abusers and were convicted because little or no evidence of domestic violence was presented at their trials. To date, three women have been freed.

See: www.umich.edu/~clemency/

(734) 913-5660

Monday through Friday
9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Yes

A very small part of my practice is estate planning, typically for same-sex couples. I draft simple wills ($250 each), durable power of attorney for health care ($150 each), general power of attorney ($150 each) and other documents needed to protect non-traditional families.

$150 to $200 per hour.

The initial consultation is $50 to $100 for one hour.

Retainers are case specific. For a misdemeanor case that will probably go to trial, the retainer is $3,000. On the other hand, the retainer will be $10,000 to $20,000 for a capital case.