Welcome to the 15th District Court bench as a new judge.  Here is some information about Judge Perry prior to becoming a judge in Ann Arbor.

​Miriam A. Perry currently serves as a clinical teaching fellow in the University of Michigan Law School’s Veterans Legal Clinic. Prior to the fellowship, Perry worked as an assistant public defender for Washtenaw County, representing clients in a wide range of criminal proceedings. She has also served as a judicial attorney for the 3rd Circuit Court of Wayne County and a law clerk for the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan.

Perry is a member of the Black Women Lawyers Association, National Bar Association, Washtenaw County Bar Association, Women Lawyers Association, NAACP, and Ann Arbor Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from Spelman College and earned her Juris Doctor degree from the University of Michigan Law School. Miriam is a life-long resident of Ann Arbor.
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“I am humbled, honored, and grateful for the appointment to the 15th District Court,” Perry said. “My life’s work has revolved around serving people in this community. I am looking forward to helping ensure that a culture of fairness and impartiality exists for all people, in all cases.”

We look forward to working with Judge Brian Hartwell on upcoming drunk driving cases in the 43rd District Court.  

To learn more about DUI's in this court, here is a helpful link - 

​https://www.michiganduiplaybook.com/drunk-driving-hazel-park-district-court-oakland-county.html

We look forward to seeing how her office handles DUI's in Oakland County.  

"Please call me by my first name, and don’t be afraid to share your ideas."
Oakland County Prosecutor-Election Karen McDonald will be stepping in to her new role Jan. 1, but wants to build a solid foundation first and foremost with office staff to ensure a smooth transition and term as part of transition process. 

McDonald, a former county circuit court judge, defeated her Republican opponent Lin Goetz on Election Day and Jessica Cooper, who has served as the county prosecutor since 2009, during the August primary election. She received the highest number of votes of any countywide candidate, Democrat or Republican, in both the primary and general elections. 

If charged with a misdemeanor DUI in Romulus, New Boston, Huron Township, Belleville, Van Buren Township, Detroit Metro Airport or Sumpter Township the case will be heard by Judge Lisa Martin, Green or Oakley who handle the drunk driving cases at the 34th District Court.  The prosecutor will either be one of the local prosecutors for Romulus, Belleville, Van Buren Township, the special airport prosecutor or an assistant prosecutor from Wayne County, which is lead by Kim Worthy.  ​

​If you or someone you love has been convicted of drunk driving in Michigan, there are now options available to have the conviction removed from your record.  Prior to the law changing, someone convicted of drunk driving had to live the rest of their life with a criminal record.  Under current Michigan law, we can now expunge a first offense drunk driving.  

If someone has more than one drunk driving, there are other methods to be considered, and I would encourage you to reach out to discuss, but for now, we are going to focus on first offense DUI's for expungement consideration.  

Here is how the process works: 

When someone files an expungement in Michigan, there are a lot of different agencies involved, and everyone needs to agree to expunge the DUI conviction.

1. Michigan State Police - they are the custodian of the Michigan DUI conviction and must verify your record.

2. Michigan Attorney General is asked to submit a response to the expungement request, and they can fight and advocate for your DUI not to be expunged.

3. The original prosecutor on the case.  Either the county, city, township, or village; whoever was the original prosecutor on your Michigan DUI will have an opportunity to object to your request and will appear in court to share their response with the judge.

4. The original judge makes the ultimate decision based upon the input of the other people involved in your case.  

We will submit a comprehensive expungement application and supporting documents; above and beyond a few sheets of paper, which will likely be rejected by prosecutor and judge.  This is a big request; removing a DUI from a criminal record has NEVER been done in Michigan under the expungement process.  We need to take our very best shot.  You've lived all these years with a drunk driving on your record, let's do this right! 

When the new law was passed, the Prosecuting Attorneys Association of Michigan, the Michigan Sheriffs' Association and the Michigan Association of Chiefs of Police opposed the bill.  Here is what they said when the new law was passed

“Prosecutors are concerned about the underlying dynamics of drunk driving and therefore couldn’t philosophically support the policy," Matt Wiese, president of the prosecutors association, said in a statement.

I anticipate that it will be an uphill battle to have DUI's expunged in Michigan, which is why I have created a dynamic approach to helping my clients give themselves the very best chance to erase the DUI from their record.  Like my clients who come to me for new DUI's, my expungement DUI clients will be very proactive, organized and comprehensive in their approach.  

I look forward to discussing your DUI expungement with you.  When you reach out, please have the following information available.  Do not worry about formal records, we can help you track those down, but do your best to know the following:

1. The original court and judge
2. The year (exact date best) of when you were sentenced and were off probation.  Again, I can help you with exact dates, but any information there will be helpful

I will likely have you walk me through what you've been doing since discharged from probation, such as career, education, family and community.  We will help you get organized and put your best foot forward but be prepared to be an active participate in the process. 

You can either call me at 248-924-9458, email me at jonathan@michiganlawgrad.com or fill out the information form on this page, and I will get back to you in a timely manner. ​

Congrats to Judge Erane Washington for winning her judicial race at the 14B District Court.  We look forward to sharing our proactive defense with her as we represent clients moving forward in her court. 

Welcome new 45A District Court Judge Horowitz to the bench starting in 2021! 

1. Being proactive makes your life less stressful, because you have a daily plan of alcohol testing, AA meetings, counseling sessions, community engagement, and other positive steps.  It's like being on a daily workout plan.  

2. You'll sleep better at night knowing that you spent 24 hours helping your case, and tomorrow is another day of positive steps in the right direction.

3. Your family and friends will see positive changes in your life.  Many clients have more energy, focus and drive when following a proactive plan.  

4. Achieving your goals as easier to handle day by day vs viewing the case as beginning and end.  There are steps in the middle, which 99 percent of the population ignores.

5. You'll be more confident walking into the court for the first time.  It's like preparing for an exam or a performance vs just showing up and winging it.  Which sounds like a better approach?

6. If placed on probation, it's going to be a lot easier to succeed, because you've been on a similar plan even before going to court.  You will be able to do many of the steps on your own terms, and be further ahead that others with a clear path to the finish line.

7. You won't need to use your GPS to get back on track.  Imagine you're looking for a restaurant or a store, and you take a wrong turn and end up back on the freeway.  You now need to go 2 miles to get off, and come back another 2 miles. Being proactive means making a quick u-turn and getting back on track without the frustration

8.  You will save money and a lot of time.  If a judge rewards you by making your terms and length of probation shorter, you save a lot of money.  Pretty simple. 

9. You will feel purpose in the case.  You wish you could go back in time and make this go away, but that's not possible.  Embrace it; this happened for a reason.  It has a purpose.  This is manageable; get over the anger, sadness and disappointment in yourself, and realize this happened for a reason; find the good in it.

10. I'll save this one for when you contact me ... ​