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DUI in Wayne County

The DUI process in Wayne County is, in many ways, similar to that in neighboring Oakland and Macomb Counties. On the other hand, there can also be rather stark differences just because of the way things are done here.

This is why, as Metro-Detroit area DUI lawyers, we concentrate our DUI practice in Wayne, Oakland and Macomb Counties, as each has some of their own particular policies and procedures, and we believe it is very important to be familiar with them.

In every county, including Wayne, a DUI charge may, for various reasons, be brought by either a local, municipal prosecutor (usually called the “city attorney”) or by the County Prosecutor (often called “the state”).

Because of its large size and population, Wayne County has a lot of local jurisdictions, and therefore a lot of city attorneys. Fortunately, the various city attorneys here tend to be very reasonable and easy to work with.

That said, the 25 district courts in Wayne County are as individual and distinct as the district courts in Oakland and Macomb Counties. In other words, what works in one court may not fly in another, and vice-versa.

In fact, to drill down on this a bit, it is very much the case that in those courts which have jurisdiction over several municipalities, each individual city may have its own policies, so that a DUI in one may play out differently from a DUI in another, even though both cases will will be handled in the same court, and before the very same Judge.

One thing that a lawyer learns with experience is that there is an unmistakeable “vibe” – something like an “attitude” or “feel” to each county that, in a rather general sense, filters down into every criminal and DUI case.

It is well-known, for example, that Oakland County is considered the “toughest” of the group that makes up the Tri-County area.

As DUI lawyers, my team and I have watched Macomb County increasingly follow the lead of Oakland, although it has done so with a bit more flexibility.

Wayne County, by contrast, marches to its own beat, and that’s a good thing. Whatever else, the courts here tend to lean much more toward being rehabilitative than punitive.

This means, generally speaking, that the outcomes of DUI cases tend to be rather favorable in the courts of Wayne County.

This is particularly true as it relates to Sobriety Courts for 2nd and 3rd offense DUI cases. While I make it a point to not single out any agency, court, Judge or hearing officer for either criticism or praise, on either this site, or on my blog, I can say that the best example I’ve seen of how a Sobriety Court should function is in one of the Wayne County district courts.

Moreover, the experiences my team and I have had with all of the Sobriety Court programs here have been very positive.

That said, the courts of Wayne County, like those in Oakland and Macomb, do have their idiosyncrasies. Often, these are most acutely felt at the circuit court level, in felony DUI cases.

Although most of the time, DUI charges can be worked out rather easily, there are some cases (usually 3rd offense felonies) that require jumping through more hoops here, in Wayne County, than in Oakland and Macomb Counties, combined.

Depending on the circumstances, these “hoops” can come from either the Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office, the particular Judge to whom the case is assigned, or both.

However, as DUI lawyers, that’s mostly our problem, and because it’s worth the effort required to achieve a better and/or more lenient outcome, we always do just that. I’d rather go through a million hoops and get a great result than get slammed quickly.

For everything that can be said about a DUI in Wayne County, the simple takeaway is that, in many ways, it is similar to its neighbors, Oakland and Macomb, while in other ways, it is rather unique.

As DUI lawyers, my team and I know all these differences and similarities well, and, because we work with them on a daily basis, we know how to navigate them in order produce the best result for our clients.