A defense built from the inside of the investigation
Most criminal defense attorneys learned police procedure from a textbook. Michael Vincent wrote the arrest reports.
Before founding the firm, he served as a sergeant with the Ypsilanti Police Department, supervising a federally funded drunk-driving enforcement patrol. Since 1986 he has devoted his career to the other side of the courtroom, defending people accused of drunk driving and serious crimes throughout Southeast Michigan.
He knows how officers are trained to conduct a stop, what a properly administered field sobriety test looks like, how breath instruments must be calibrated, and precisely where police work goes wrong. When it does, we find it.
What happens after an arrest
Before you decide who to hire, hear how we approach a case — what we ask for first, what we look for in the report, and why the officer's own paperwork is so often the strongest thing a defense has.
SPEAK WITH MICHAELThe charges we defend
From a first-offense OWI to open murder, the defense is built around the facts of your case — the stop, the search, the testing, the video, and the people in the room.
Your license, your record, and your job. High BAC, OWVI, drugged driving, second and third offense, implied consent.
First and second degree murder, manslaughter, and self-defense under Michigan's Self-Defense Act.
No-contact orders, false allegations, recanting complainants, and deferred dismissal under MCL 769.4a.
CSC first through fourth degree, registry exposure, and challenges to forensic interviews.
AWIGBH, felonious assault, and aggravated assault — including self-defense presented at trial.
Search-and-seizure motions, informant credibility, and section 7411 diversion for first offenders.
Concealed carry, the mandatory consecutive term for felony firearm, and felon in possession.
Matters that outlast the charge
A protection order, a revoked license and a record that will not clear are all decided in their own forum, on their own rules. We appear in each of them.
Orders signed before you knew they existed, the 14-day window to answer them, and the contempt that follows an alleged violation.
Hearings after a revocation, and the clear-and-convincing case a hearing officer expects you to have built before you arrive.
Clearing a conviction under Michigan's Clean Slate law — including a first OWI — so it stops answering questions on your behalf.
Outcomes, on the record
A police officer charged with manslaughter after a fatal shooting on a burglar-alarm call. Tried to the bench. Not guilty.
Testimony showed the client was not the triggerman and had tried to call the robbery off. The judge threw out the life-offense murder charge.
A high school senior facing three fifteen-year felonies. After cross-examination and expert testimony, all three were dismissed for lack of intent.
Each outcome was reported by an independent newspaper. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome.
ALL RESULTSRespected on both sides of the courtroom
He is like some ancient, mythical, Gaelic beast: part-lion, part-leprechaun, and a generous sprinkling of P.T. Barnum. But what makes him so effective is that his heart is always in the right place — his clients' interests are his interests.
"His background as a police officer gives him a broad advantage over me. I have to be on my toes with Mike. Quite frankly, he's a formidable adversary."
"He had an instinct that was just unbelievable when it came to finding criminals. It was uncanny how he could sense what was going on."
"Was it difficult going from catching criminals to defending them? No. In both cases I am enforcing the law."
Protecting your future
Discuss your case, understand your options, and get trusted guidance — beginning today.
Meet an attorney, understand the process, and see a clear picture of your defense and the fee before you commit to anything.
We obtain all discovery — in-car and body camera video, dispatch audio, breath and blood records, maintenance logs — and verify every step the police took.
Dismissal, suppression, reduction, or a verdict at trial. This is not a plea mill — if a case should be tried, we try it.
What clients ask first
01Do I need an attorney after a drunk driving arrest?
Yes. An OWI is a criminal charge carrying jail exposure, license sanctions, and a permanent public record — and the deadlines move quickly. If you refused the evidential breath or blood test, you have only fourteen days to request an implied consent hearing before an automatic one-year suspension attaches, separate from the criminal case.
02What happens during the first consultation?
You meet with an attorney, not an intake screener. We review the police report and your account of the stop, identify the issues we would attack first, explain the likely timeline in your particular court, and quote a flat fee. There is no obligation and no cost.
03Do you handle charges beyond drunk driving?
We do. Intoxicated driving defense is the core of the practice, and we also defend open murder, criminal sexual conduct, domestic violence, assault with intent to do great bodily harm, drug possession and delivery, and firearms charges.
04Which courts and counties do you serve?
We appear throughout Washtenaw County and the surrounding counties of Wayne, Livingston, Monroe, Lenawee, and Jackson — including Ann Arbor, Ypsilanti, Detroit, Canton, Plymouth, Romulus, Brighton, Howell, Adrian, and Jackson.
05What does a defense cost?
Most matters are handled on a flat fee quoted at the consultation, so you know the figure before you hire us. It depends on the charge, the court, and whether the case is likely to be tried. Payment arrangements are available.
06Someone was arrested tonight. Can I reach you now?
Call the after-hours line at 734.389.4267. Arrests do not happen during business hours, and the first forty-eight hours often decide how much room we have to work with.