{"id":6111,"date":"2023-08-21T14:23:32","date_gmt":"2023-08-21T18:23:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.randalawyers.com\/randa-blog-post\/start-here\/"},"modified":"2025-01-22T15:19:38","modified_gmt":"2025-01-22T20:19:38","slug":"start-here","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.randalawyers.com\/blog\/start-here\/","title":{"rendered":"The First Thing You need to Know About License Restorations"},"content":{"rendered":"

SOBRIETY FIRST<\/u><\/strong><\/span><\/strong>
You must meet certain legal criteria to win a Michigan driver\u2019s license restoration or clearance appeal. This is true no matter how much you may need or want your license back.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Our firm\u00a0guarantees to win<\/a>\u00a0every restoration and clearance case we take – however we\u00a0only<\/em>\u00a0accept those that qualify.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

There is a lot that goes into a license appeal case, but none of it matters unless a person has honestly quit drinking. The restoration process is designed to screen out anyone who still drinks, or even thinks<\/em> they can ever drink again. The driver\u2019s license appeal rules require a person to prove him or herself to be clean and sober.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n

The Michigan Secretary of State has a very specific process for this.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

A LITTLE BACKGROUND<\/strong><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

In Michigan, anyone who racks up 2 DUI\u2019s within 7 years or 3 within 10 years is automatically categorized as a \u201chabitual alcohol offender<\/a>.\u201d His or her driver’s license will be revoked. Legally, a “habitual alcohol offender” is presumed, by law, to have an alcohol problem.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

It is therefore assumed<\/strong> that anyone filing a license appeal after multiple DUI\u2019s has some kind of troubled relationship to alcohol.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

The Secretary of State will NOT buy that a person who has racked up multiple DUI’s was just unlucky. Nor can it accept that he or she has learned their lesson, and can now drink safely.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

THE RULE<\/strong><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Instead, the main rule governing license restoration cases has several requirements. It specifies that the hearing officer deciding a case be convinced, by \u201cclear and convincing evidence,\u201d of 2 key things:<\/p>\r\n


<\/strong>1.\u00a0 That the person has been COMPLETELY abstinent from alcohol and drugs. This means free of everything<\/em>, including recreational marijuana, for a legally sufficient period of time. The precise amount can vary from case to case. However, as a general rule, our firm will never move forward with less than 18 months.<\/strong>
<\/strong>2.\u00a0 That the person has both the ability and commitment to remain COMPLETELY abstinent for life. This means not using alcohol or any drugs, (including recreational marijuana) ever again. In other words, a person has to convince the hearing officer that he or she is a safe bet to remain sober.<\/strong><\/blockquote>\r\n


The Secretary of State must be convinced that a person no longer has\u00a0any<\/em>\u00a0relationship to alcohol or drugs. He or she must prove they have been and are likely to remain completely alcohol and drug free\u00a0for life<\/em>.
A lot of people misunderstand this. They think that they can explain how they\u2019ve learned their lesson, and swear to never\u00a0drink and drive again<\/em>. It doesn\u2019t work like that.\u00a0
Once a person has lost his or her license for being a repeat DUI offender, there is only ONE way to get it back. That’s by proving that he or she has honestly quit drinking and is committed to\u00a0never drinking again<\/strong>.\u00a0
Anything less is simply NOT enough.\u00a0 \u00a0
<\/span><\/span><\/strong>NO EXCUSES<\/span><\/span><\/strong>
Yet for as clear as that is, lots of people resist. They don’t want to stop drinking. Many will offer the same explanations for why they do. They’ll say that “I\u00a0 –<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n