She was patient with him, exploring the circumstances that gave rise to his \u201cslip.\u201d When all was said and done, he thanked her for her time and insight, saying that he felt \u201cunderstood\u201d as he set out to renew his commitment to remaining sober for good.<\/p>\n
All day, every day, my team and I deal with issues related to drinking and drugs in criminal<\/a>, DUI<\/a> and driver\u2019s license restoration cases. These issues are so central to our\u00a0 firm\u2019s practice areas that a number of years ago, I returned to the University campus (no online classes for me) and completed a post-graduate program of addiction studies<\/a>.<\/p>\n Our firm concentrates in handling DUI cases<\/a> and driver\u2019s license restoration appeals<\/a>. Therefore, issues such as the development, diagnosis, treatment of and recovery from alcohol and\/or drug use or other addictive disorders is at the core of almost everything we do.<\/p>\n In this article, we\u2019ll look at why<\/em> understanding substance abuse issues in the context of DUI (the actual term in Michigan is Operating While Intoxicated<\/a>, or \u201cOWI\u201d for short) driver\u2019s license restoration and criminal cases is so important – and helpful.<\/p>\n To be clear, as used here, \u201csubstance\u201d and \u201csubstance abuse\u201d refers to the use of alcohol AND\/OR drugs, whether legal (and even prescribed) as well as those, like cocaine and heroin, that are simply illegal.<\/p>\n Although one can get lost in the numbers, the simplified version of the actual statistics<\/a> for Michigan paints a frightening picture:<\/p>\n According to the CDC, an estimated 40.3 million Americans had a substance abuse disorder<\/a> within the last year.<\/p>\n These facts regarding substance use and abuse<\/a> directly influence the way courts perceive anyone facing a DUI charge or any kind of criminal charge involving alcohol or drugs.<\/p>\n Here are 5 key \u201coverview\u201d points that will help in our discussion of substance abuse problems:<\/strong><\/p>\n Substance abuse problems, like the people who have them, come in all shapes, sizes, colors and varieties.<\/p>\n For example, one person may have a drink or two every night and never have a problem. By contrast, someone else may have a problem even though he or she only drinks once every several years.<\/p>\n Unfortunately, substance abuse problems, at least early on, almost \u201ctell\u201d the person that everything is alright. It is not uncommon for those around someone to observe that his or her substance use is creating trouble, while the person will insist there\u2019s nothing wrong.<\/p>\n This is known as \u201cdenial.\u201d<\/p>\n Substance abuse is not the same thing as addiction. While all addiction involves substance abuse, but not all substance abuse includes addiction.<\/p>\n If problematic use is caught early enough, a person may be able to change his or her behavior to avoid things getting worse. This is because, most often, the problems caused by substance abuse start out small. Left unchecked, though, they tend to pile up and get worse over time.<\/p>\n The clinical aspects of this can get deep. However, Michigan\u2019s DUI laws cut through this rather cleanly:<\/p>\n In the context of DUI cases<\/a>, it is not uncommon for a person to deflect any inquiry into his or her drinking by suggesting that they\u2019ve simply been unlucky. While we could examine that a million different ways, the old saying quoted above provides that best advice – anything that causes a problem IS a problem.<\/p>\n The common denominator for anyone racking multiple DUIs is, of course, drinking.<\/p>\n The court, for its part, is going to look very closely<\/strong> at a DUI driver\u2019s drinking behavior and will – without exception – order that the person completely refrain from the use of alcohol (and ALL other recreational drugs) while his or her case is pending.<\/p>\n As Michigan criminal, DUI and driver\u2019s license restoration lawyers, my team and I must explain to our clients both the legal and practical realities about how things work in the court system.<\/p>\n For example, if you\u2019re facing a 2nd offense DUI<\/a> and want to tell the judge that you should be able to have a glass of wine with dinner while you\u2019re on probation, you\u2019ll just be digging a huge hole for yourself.<\/p>\n Our job is to help the client understand how the system works and how it \u201csees\u201d things. We do this to prevent our client from running head-first into even more trouble.<\/p>\n To be sure, the court system is far from perfect. In fact, it\u2019s rather flawed.<\/p>\n We have, for example, heard some within the courts voice their belief that relapse is not<\/em> part of recovery, even though this is a generally accepted clinical reality when someone is trying to get sober.<\/p>\n In terms of the types of counseling, education or rehab to which the courts send people, that\u2019s hit or miss, at best.<\/p>\n In most courts, AA is still the gold standard. In plenty of cases involving alcohol, the possibility of being court-ordered to attend meetings is very real.<\/p>\n The problem is that while AA is a great program, it\u2019s not for everyone.<\/strong><\/p>\n In fact, the simple truth is that it\u2019s the wrong choice for most people<\/em>.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n Being ordered to attend AA when it\u2019s the wrong option for someone is a big \u201cmiss\u201d that can dramatically affect his or her life.<\/p>\n As defense lawyers, we must help the judge consider the whole range of treatment options available (and there are plenty), with an eye toward selecting the one that\u2019s most appropriate for any given client.<\/p>\n Being sent for the wrong kind of \u201chelp\u201d is never beneficial and can sometimes be downright counterproductive.<\/p>\n Let\u2019s look at a hypothetical DUI case as an example:<\/p>\n Assume that Lauren, a 26 year-old woman, gets a 2nd offense DUI. She winds up in front of a judge who orders her to go to 2 AA meetings per week for the first year of her probation.<\/p>\n Because she no longer has a driver\u2019s license, she is stuck going to the 2 meetings nearest her home.<\/p>\n Both meetings are mostly attended by older men. To be sure, they\u2019re nice, and harmless, but when Lauren walks into the room, these portly, middle-aged guys with flannel shirts and gray beards all turn around, their eyes wide, surprised to see a female.<\/p>\n With absolutely no ill intentions whatsoever, one of the men greets her by saying, \u201cHiya sweetie, come on in and have a seat right here.\u201d<\/p>\n Of course, Lauren cringes, and right there, any potential therapeutic benefit<\/a> she may have ever gotten from AA just went out the window. This is NOT any kind of group in which she\u2019ll feel comfortable sharing the details of her life.<\/p>\n Even if her feelings of being creeped out are a bit exaggerated, as the old saying goes, \u201cfeelings are facts,\u201d and whatever the judge was hoping she\u2019d get out of attending AA is now a lost cause.<\/p>\n Should the court force Lauren to keep going there for the next 51 weeks?<\/p>\n What will likely happen if her lawyer explains her discomfort to the judge and asks that she be allowed to discontinue AA?<\/p>\n Without a solid clinical understanding of substance abuse treatment, and the ability to explain how and why these AA meetings are a lost cause for Laruen, the chance of that happening is slim to none.<\/p>\n A judge who hasn\u2019t been educated otherwise, can just think, \u201cWell, you got yourself into this mess, and instead of locking you up, I\u2019m making you go to meetings. The way I see it, that still sure beats the hell out of jail, so I\u2019m not going to lose any sleep over you not liking it; too bad.\u201d<\/p>\n However, if the lawyer can suggest a suitable alternative, help the judge see the bigger picture at play, and do it in a way where the judge really \u201cgets it,\u201d then he or she should have no problem releasing Lauren from AA and allowing her to do something else, instead.<\/p>\n More specifically, having a broad understanding of substance abuse is critical to properly handling drunk driving matters. Here\u2019s why:<\/p>\n Under Michigan law, before a person can be sentenced for a DUI, he or she must undergo a mandatory alcohol assessment (screening). This takes the form of a written \u201ctest\u201d administered by a probation officer from the court\u2019s probation department. This test seeks detailed information about a person\u2019s alcohol use and drug use history, and current use behavior.<\/p>\n Every answer has a point value, and the total number is compared to a scoring key that (supposedly) determines 1 of 3 things about the person:<\/p>\n These results of this assessment process are used to make a written report (technically, a sentencing recommendation) to the judge advising what the person\u2019s sentence should be in every driving under the influence case. This can include everything from a simple, 1-session alcohol highway safety class to a referral for long term counseling and\/or treatment.<\/p>\n There is an inherent problem inherent within this process, and it is clinically known as the risk of \u201cover-diagnosis.\u201d This is part of what is sometimes described as the court system\u2019s alcohol bias<\/a>.<\/p>\n Essentially, this means that a person will be perceived as:<\/p>\n As noted, the risk of overdiagnosis is a clinically acknowledged reality, and it\u2019s largely based upon this repeatedly validated fact:<\/p>\n As a group, people who have racked up even one DUI are at greater risk to have an alcohol problem than those who have not.<\/strong><\/p>\n This is just a risk factor, but it\u2019s well-known and often seen in the court system.<\/p>\n The reality, though, is that most people facing a 1st offense DUI don\u2019t<\/strong> have an alcohol problem.<\/p>\n Nevertheless, the alcohol bias and risk of over-diagnosis is there, and it WILL affect how every person going through a DUI is perceived.<\/p>\n Here is a simple way to explain this:<\/p>\n Imagine that you are told to conduct a study. You are instructed to survey 5000 people, at random, for a substance abuse assessment. You are further advised that it doesn\u2019t matter how or where you collect your sample (100 from each of the 50 states, or half from the eastern part of the country, and the other half from the west, etc.), except that there is only ONE qualification:<\/p>\n Everyone you survey must either have or otherwise be mentally capable of obtaining a driver\u2019s license. In other words, you must exclude those who are intellectually impaired.<\/p>\n \u2022 You are to call this lot \u201cGroup A.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n Next, you are to do the same thing all over again, with one ADDITIONAL qualification:<\/p>\n Everyone in this group must either have previously had or be currently facing a DWI (DUI) charge.<\/p>\n \u2022 You are to call this lot \u201cGroup B.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n No matter how you screen them, it will ALWAYS be the case that \u201cGroup B\u201d tests out with a higher incidence of alcohol problems than \u201cGroup A.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n This reality, along with the day-to-day experience of any judge presiding over what can seem like an endless stream of DUI cases reinforces that \u201calcohol bias\u201d within the court system.<\/p>\n It is precisely this kind of thing from which my team and I, in our roles as Michigan DUI attorneys, must protect our clients.<\/p>\n Very often, criminal cases arise because they involve drugs or alcohol. Think of things like open intoxicants in a motor vehicle and drug possession charges.<\/p>\n Often enough, people get in trouble because they\u2019re under the influence of drugs and\/or alcohol. Here, think of people doing \u201cstupid stuff\u201d (like driving drunk) because they\u2019re intoxicated or doing other things like winding up in a domestic violence situation.<\/p>\n Sometimes, a person may be having some kind of mental health issue that helps explain his or her behavior beyond just being intoxicated.<\/p>\n Here again, we come back to the simple yet profound notion that \u201canything that causes a problem IS a problem.\u201d<\/p>\n Whatever else, nobody makes better decisions when under the influence. Inhibitions get lowered, and people sometimes do things they would normally not if they weren\u2019t impaired.<\/p>\n To be sure, not every crime, drug crime, or crime committed while under the influence of drugs or alcohol means a person has a problem.<\/p>\n However, the court system will be laser focused on that aspect of things, and any criminal defense attorney who is not crystal clear about this is failing his or her client. Court-ordered drug counseling is always a risk in criminal and DUI cases, and should be pointedly avoided when there is NOT an underlying problem.<\/p>\n One of the best examples of this can be found in domestic violence (DV) cases. Not every DV case involves alcohol, but it is a fact that most of them do.<\/p>\n The presence and potential role of alcohol and\/or drugs in any criminal case will always be a primary area of interest to the courts.<\/p>\n Therefore, it must be a key focus of the defense lawyer, as well.<\/p>\n If a person has a problem, then my team and I can get him or her into the right kind<\/em> of help early on. This can reap HUGE benefits in the case.<\/p>\n On the flip side, if someone does NOT have any kind of alcohol or drug problem, then we\u2019ll see to it that he or she gets a clinically reliable alcohol evaluation or substance use evaluation to prove that.<\/p>\n Driver\u2019s license restoration and clearance appeals become necessary after a person has lost his or her driving privileges following multiple DUI convictions. Michigan law categorizes anyone who has 2 DUI convictions within 7 years or 3 within 10 years as a \u201chabitual alcohol offender.\u201d<\/p>\n The law further PRESUMES that any such person has some kind<\/em> of alcohol and\/or substance abuse problem.<\/p>\n We\u2019ll skip any debate about the wisdom of how the law works in that regard because, as the saying goes, \u201cit is what it is.\u201d In other words, the starting point for a license appeal is that the person does, in fact, have an alcohol and\/or substance abuse problem.<\/p>\n To win a license appeal, a person must ALWAYS prove these 2 things, among others:<\/p>\n In simple terms, this means that one must show he or she has been COMPLETELY alcohol and drug-free (this includes recreational marijuana) for a \u201clegally sufficient\u201d period of time. Normally, a person will need AT LEAST 2 years of clean time, and often more, to have any chance of winning a license restoration or clearance appeal case.<\/p>\n In addition, anyone filing a license appeal is going to have to prove that he or she has both the ability and the commitment to remain completely alcohol and drug-free for life<\/em>.<\/p>\n This requires filing an appeal that includes, among other things, a clinically sound substance use evaluation<\/a> (often mistakenly called a \u201csubstance abuse evaluation\u201d) and testimonial letters of support.<\/p>\n Here, an understanding of the development, diagnosis, treatment of, and recovery from alcohol and other substance abuse problems is very important to how and why our firm guarantees to win<\/a> every license restoration and clearance appeal case we take.<\/p>\n In fact, it\u2019s so important that years ago, I returned to the University classroom to complete a formal post-graduate program of addiction studies.<\/p>\n My team and I use this specialized knowledge every day in our criminal, DUI and driver\u2019s license restoration practice.<\/p>\n The most defining feature of our firm is that we\u2019re honest. We will never just tell someone what they want to hear in order to collect a fee.<\/p>\n Instead, we feel obligated to tell them what they need to hear \u2013 the truth. Imagine someone facing a 2nd offense DUI calling us and saying they know it looks bad, but they don\u2019t have a drinking problem.<\/p>\n While it\u2019s not our place to play substance abuse counselor and argue with that person, we are morally compelled to explain how Michigan law works. We need to make clear that, as noted above, the law categorizes any such person as a \u201chabitual alcohol offender,\u201d and further PRESUMES that the person has some kind <\/em>of drinking problem.<\/p>\n We do this because our ultimate goal is to produce the very best outcome possible for the client. And make no mistake, the \u201cbest outcome\u201d in a criminal or DUI case is had by either getting the whole charge dismissed, or at least avoiding as many of the legal penalties and negative consequences as possible.<\/p>\n Remember, our firm GUARANTEES to win every license restoration and clearance appeal case we take.<\/p>\n You simply cannot do better than that.<\/p>\n Here\u2019s what a few of our clients had to say about us:<\/p>\n \u201cA few years ago I attempted to get my driving privileges reinstated and the interlock device removed from my car. I hired another attorney and we failed miserably. The Randa office shoots it to you straight and walks you through everything you need to do before they’ll even consider taking you on as a client and eventually requesting a hearing.<\/strong> They are in it to win and that’s exactly what they did for me. They had a mess to clean up and they did that and got my freedom back for me. Jack Mott and Ann were amazing to work with. I felt confident and prepared for my hearing. I highly recommend The Jeffrey Randa team for any license needs.\u201d – Ceree M.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n <\/p><\/blockquote>\n \u201cThey did everything right! The experience was professional and never once did I feel that I didn\u2019t know what was going on.\u201d – Dave M.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n “I can\u2019t recommend Randa & Associates enough for license restoration – I know people who have had their license revoked and tried fighting with other firms, and they lost their cases – Randa\u2019s attorneys are experts. Jack Mott is a pro, and Ann and Beth in the office are extremely knowledgeable, helpful, and kind. I won my case after expecting the worst, and am so happy with the my experience with this firm!!!” \u2013 Michelle M.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n “Can\u2019t say enough about Jack and team. Unbelievably professional and caring. Love these people!!” \u2013 Mike D.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n “I had a lot of issues with my drivers license and outstanding warrants…. I have to say Jeffrey Randa office made it all smooth going. They really have their act together making the process a lot easier to handle and I also found their pricing to be very reasonable considering how bad my case was.” \u2013 JJ.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n “Just two words describe them “The Best”. They handled my case with ease. Gave me advice and the tools to get me the best case possible.” \u2013 Derek P.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n In a 1st offense DUI case<\/a>, for example, a key goal for my team and me is to prevent a person who does not have a drinking problem<\/a> from getting caught up in the court system\u2019s inherent \u201calcohol bias\u201d and winding up being treated like he or she does.<\/p>\n We need to make sure he or she is NOT ordered into unnecessary substance abuse counseling, education, and\/or treatment.<\/p>\n Often enough, someone facing a 2nd offense DUI<\/a> will insist that he or she does NOT have any kind of drinking problem, despite how bad things may look.<\/p>\n It\u2019s here that we must explain 3 important facts about Michigan\u2019s DUI laws, as noted above:<\/p>\n The client must be made to understand that no matter how much he or she does (or does not) drink, just by their record alone, there is obviously some kind of risky relationship to alcohol<\/em>.<\/p>\n At this point in a criminal or DUI case, labels don\u2019t really matter. The courts are less concerned about whether a person has any kind of addiction or dependence. Instead, it\u2019s a simple matter of a person being a demonstrated risk to public safety.<\/p>\n Thus, in the context of criminal and DUI cases (it\u2019s different for driver\u2019s license restoration appeals), we\u2019re dealing with the law and things like court orders for testing and treatment that will directly and significantly impact a person\u2019s life<\/p>\n The court system does not have the resources to be very nuanced about a person\u2019s relationship to alcohol or drugs. Instead, it operates from the perspective that if you\u2019re facing a 2nd offense DUI, you absolutely have some kind of drinking problem, and \u201chelp\u201d must be ordered.<\/p>\n Plenty of lawyers would be content to collect their fee by merely agreeing with a possible 2nd offense DUI client who says that he or she doesn\u2019t have any kind of issue with drinking.<\/p>\n After all, the old saying is that \u201cthe customer is always right.\u201d<\/p>\n If a potential paying client with multiple prior DUIs calls and is looking for a lawyer who will echo that he or she doesn\u2019t have a problem, that\u2019s a difficult temptation for many to resist.<\/p>\n To be clear \u2013 It is a complete failure<\/strong> on the part of any lawyer who would just remain silent and not explain the bigger picture, like we\u2019ve been doing here.<\/p>\n On the flip side, however, nobody should hire some lawyer who is so into \u201crecovery\u201d that he or she won\u2019t fight<\/a> hard and properly defend them, either.<\/p>\n The very first kind of help a lawyer needs to provide is to get the client out of trouble.<\/strong><\/p>\n Who wants to be ordered into some treatment center or treatment program that he or she doesn\u2019t need?<\/p>\n In addition to that, we need to protect the client from getting hammered with things like difficult probation that includes unnecessary alcohol and drug testing or substance abuse treatment.<\/p>\n When a client does want help, however, we can help explore his or her treatment options and refer him or her to the right kind of treatment provider.<\/p>\n While we\u2019re proud to be able to do that, the simple fact is that, first and foremost, you hire a lawyer to save your a$$. Everything after that is gravy.<\/p>\n The reality is that a lot of the trouble people get into, especially those that result in DUI, criminal or drug possession charges, are the result of poor decisions made after drinking or using some other kind of intoxicant.<\/p>\n Imagine if you asked a law-abiding, non-drug using person, \u201cWould you mind keeping these Vicodin pills (or this cocaine) in your pocket while we drive around?\u201d<\/p>\n They\u2019d look at you like you\u2019re nuts!<\/p>\n To a drug user, however, that sometimes doesn\u2019t seem like such a bad idea.<\/p>\n The fact is that the court system doesn\u2019t have it completely wrong about alcohol and drug problems and the role they have in criminal and DUI cases.<\/p>\n However, that same system doesn\u2019t always get it right, either.<\/p>\n Not every DUI driver has a drinking problem. As your lawyers, we must find the right balance between these seemingly competing positions and produce the best outcome possible for the client.\u00a0 Here\u2019s what I mean:<\/p>\n If, as lawyers, we\u2019re really going to help a client that we know is struggling with something like an obvious drinking problem, it will generally be counter-productive to start preaching something like, \u201cYou need help.\u201d<\/p>\n No matter what, we are lawyers<\/a>, and, as stated above, our first job is to protect the client from the fallout of a poor decision. We genuinely help good people out of bad situations<\/strong>.<\/p>\n That said, as much as saying \u201cyou have a problem!\u201d can send a person running for the hills, it is truly a failure, at the human level, to simply pretend nothing is wrong, either.<\/p>\n Ultimately \u2013 and this is a motto of our firm \u2013 success in a criminal or DUI case is best measured by what does NOT happen to you. Specifically, that means avoiding as many of the legal penalties and negative consequences as possible.<\/p>\n My team and I understand the processes involved in the development, diagnosis, treatment of and recovery from alcohol and substance abuse problems. We know how people can struggle.<\/p>\n We also know that the courts can often \u201csee\u201d a problem that doesn\u2019t exist. Other times, it may see any such one that does exist as being worse than it really is.<\/p>\n We understand what\u2019s involved in the substance abuse evaluation process.<\/p>\n We know how to obtain and skillfully use an independent alcohol and\/or drug evaluation to make things better for our clients. If a treatment plan is needed, we can help with that so that the client isn\u2019t just left on his or her own.<\/p>\n The last thing anyone needs is to get involved in (and pay for) unnecessary services from some healthcare or treatment provider.<\/p>\n Experience has proven to us that the best legal advice begins by being honest with the client and giving him or her the information to properly consider the full scope of his or her situation.<\/p>\n Consider this hypothetical:<\/p>\n Assume we get a call from Debbie the Driver who is charged with a 2nd offense DUI.\u00a0 Her 1st offense took place about 5 years ago.<\/p>\n This time she was pulled over for speeding, and her BAC<\/a> came back at 0.14.<\/p>\n Debbie knows she\u2019s in trouble, but she insists that she \u201cdidn\u2019t feel that bad\u201d when she was driving and that she really does not drink that much, or that often, anyway.<\/p>\n She hates the idea that she\u2019s going to lose her license and be treated, as she describes it, \u201clike an alcoholic, because I\u2019m NOT. I don\u2019t drink every day.\u201d<\/p>\n It would be very easy for some lawyer to just agree with Debbie and say, \u201cWe won\u2019t let that happen.\u201d Except for making her feel pretty good about handing her money over, that approach does NOTHING to help her.<\/p>\n As we\u2019ve seen, under Michigan law, it\u2019s a foregone conclusion that Debbie has some kind<\/em> of problematic relationship to alcohol.<\/p>\n The thing is, Debbie is in big-time legal trouble. She\u2019s not particularly interested in being \u201csaved\u201d from her relationship to alcohol by some lawyer. Instead, her first concern is staying out of jail.<\/p>\n Even if she suspects that her drinking might be a problem, she doesn\u2019t want to be lectured about it by her attorney. She wants her lawyer, first and foremost, to save her license and keep her out of jail.<\/p>\n As honest lawyers, my team and I couldn\u2019t mislead Debbie and pretend that there\u2019s nothing<\/em> to her drinking, and this whole 2nd offense drunk driving is just all bad luck.<\/p>\n If she goes to court with that attitude, Debbie is in for a beat-down by the judge, anyway.<\/p>\n We would be duty-bound to explain to Debbie that, while we\u2019re not labeling her (alcoholic, alcohol abuser, binge drinker, problem drinker, etc.), neither can we ignore the fact that her drinking has become risky, given that she\u2019s now going through a 2nd DUI within 5 years.<\/p>\n To get a single DUI can be bad luck, but by the time a person gets a second, any clinically sound evaluation will conclude that drinking is some kind<\/em> of problem for him or her.<\/p>\n Moreover, as we\u2019ve seen, Michigan law draws that same conclusion.<\/p>\n Consider this analogy:<\/p>\n Someone goes to a restaurant, eats, and winds up sick the next day.<\/p>\n Most people probably wouldn\u2019t go back to that restaurant, even if the reason for their getting sick was a mere coincidence.<\/p>\n However, let\u2019s assume our diner goes back several times and eats at that same restaurant without getting sick.<\/p>\n Then, one day, after eating there again, the person DOES get sick a second time.<\/p>\n Just about everyone would agree that it\u2019s time to stay out of that place. Nobody same would keep going back.<\/p>\n Most people wouldn\u2019t have to think of anything more than the fact that the same restaurant was the cause of someone getting sick twice. Whatever else, something<\/em> is wrong, even if it is just repeat bad luck in such situations, or the person\u2019s particular digestive sensitivities.<\/p>\n The \u201cfix\u201d is to just avoid that place in the future.<\/p>\n It\u2019s no different when it comes to repeatedly getting in trouble related to drinking and\/or drug use.<\/p>\n The bottom line is that people hire a lawyer for help. Real help starts with being honest. You hand your money over to a lawyer to get your situation made better.<\/p>\n To be sure, my team and I aren\u2019t here to lecture, or preach. While our first priority is to produce the best possible outcome in every case we take, we also care deeply about our clients\u2019 well-being.<\/p>\n Any lawyer can get paid to stand next to the client in court and babble on about him or her being \u201csorry.\u201d A person who doesn\u2019t know better probably won\u2019t expect better.<\/p>\n My team and I do know better, however, so we take the extra steps to DO better, and, in turn, produce better results, not just in the case, but for the client, as a person.<\/p>\n Our firm never settles for \u201cor not,\u201d and that\u2019s precisely why we GUARANTEE to win every license restoration and clearance appeal case we take.<\/p>\n If you\u2019re looking for a lawyer to restore your driving privileges, or defend a criminal or DUI charge, or you\u2019re just looking on behalf of a loved one, be a wise consumer and read around. This blog<\/a> is a great place to start. Pay attention to how different lawyers break down these cases, and how they explain their various approaches to them.<\/p>\n Once you\u2019ve done enough reading, start calling around. You can learn a lot by speaking with a live person, and that\u2019s exactly what you\u2019ll get when you contact our office.<\/p>\n We offer a free consultation that is both confidential, and, best of all, done over the phone, right when you call<\/em>.<\/p>\n My team and I are very friendly people who will be glad to answer your questions and explain things. We\u2019ll even be happy to compare notes with anything some other lawyer has told you.<\/p>\n We can be reached Monday through Friday, from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. (EST) at either 248-986-9700<\/a> or 586-465-1980<\/a>. You can also message us through our contact form<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Substance Use In Criminal, DUI and License Restoration Cases I recall when one of our legal assistants told me of a conversation she had with a driver\u2019s license restoration caller who had gotten into trouble because of a relapse after having been clean and sober for a number of years. She was patient with him, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":7943,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[28],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3634","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-criminal-cases"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.randalawyers.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3634","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.randalawyers.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.randalawyers.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.randalawyers.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.randalawyers.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3634"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.randalawyers.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3634\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7945,"href":"https:\/\/www.randalawyers.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3634\/revisions\/7945"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.randalawyers.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7943"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.randalawyers.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3634"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.randalawyers.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3634"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.randalawyers.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3634"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Drug and Alcohol Addiction Statistics in Michigan<\/h2>\n
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What Drug and Alcohol Problems Looks Like<\/h2>\n
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How This Applies In DUI And Driver\u2019s License Restoration Cases<\/h3>\n
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How Substance Abuse Problems Impact Your Case<\/h2>\n
How This Can Play Out In The Real World<\/h3>\n
DUI<\/h3>\n
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How This Works In DUI Cases<\/h3>\n
Criminal Cases<\/h3>\n
Driver’s License Restoration Cases<\/h3>\n
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Why Work With Jeffrey Randa and Associates<\/h2>\n
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Our Approach to Cases Involving Substance Use<\/h2>\n
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The Lawyer\u2019s Role<\/h3>\n
The High Cost Of Bad Decisions<\/h3>\n
Our Firm IS Different<\/h3>\n
Double Trouble Debbie<\/h3>\n
Real Legal Help<\/h3>\n
We\u2019ll Be Straight With You<\/h2>\n
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Get The Help You Need<\/h2>\n