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The Criminal Defense Law Center of
West Michigan
One of the most important things a criminal defense attorney can bring to the table when working on a criminal case is having a good relationship with the prosecutor who is handling your case. When it comes to 63rd district court, we have great relationships with the prosecutor’s who work out. We have a great relationship with the prosecutor at this court who handles Judge Smolenski’s cases. We have a great relationship with the prosecutor at this court who handles cases for Judge O’Hara.
The Criminal Defense Law Center of West Michigan gets out to this district court all the time. Our office is near the courthouse on East Beltline and we have been on the court-appointed list at 63rd district court.
The majority of cases we see at 63rd district court are drunk driving cases, retail fraud and domestic violence.
The 63rd District Court conducts trials and is of limited jurisdiction. There are 101 judicial districts that are covered by the 63rd district court. These districts have various differences in size that cover a city, township and counties. This Court has exclusive jurisdiction over these cases:
Addition criminal offenses the district court is the court handles arraignments and preliminary examinations for felony charges. The 63rd district court issues arrest warrants and search warrants. The court will set bail and accept bond. Finally, if you want to get married you can do so at this court.
The holdings of this district court can be appealed to the 17th Circuit Court in Kent County. However, a different appeals process applies to informal hearings that deal with cases based on traffic infractions.
Anyone who is charged with a misdemeanor crime in the 63rd District Court, you can hire an attorney to waive your first court appearance which is the arraignment. After your lawyer files the waiver, the court will enter a not guilty plea and set your case up for a pretrial conference.
If you are facing criminal charges that took place in East Grand Rapids, you will be dealing with a city attorney. If you are facing criminal charges brought by Kent County you will be facing a country prosecutor. The pretrial conference is a chance for the person prosecuting your case to talk with your lawyer about the facts of the case and see if there can be a potential resolution. If the case doesn’t settle then, there will be another pretrial conference about four to five weeks later. If the is no settlement of the case by a plea agreement, the case will be set for trial. You can have a trial by judge, where the judge will determine your if you are guilty or not guilty of the charge. You also have the right to have a jury trial. Six citizens of a pool of 20 people will determine your guilt.
If you have a clean criminal record, you can expect fines and costs of $500 to $1,500 dollars. In some cases you may get a period of probation and some community service. Jail maybe an option but that depends on if you case has aggravating factors. Both judges here will allow you to have time to pay off your fines, costs and fees.
If you have been busted for operating while intoxicated, you will likely only get probation and community service. If this is your second offense, you are looking at 15 to 30 days in jail. For a felony drunk driving charge, unless your charge is reduced, you will be sentenced by a judge at the 17th Circuit Court in Grand Rapids.
My client was facing a retail fraud charge at 63rd district court in Grand Rapids, Michigan. My client was going to into his arraignment and was going to enter a guilty plea! I strongly advised him not to do so! I knew that through my skills as a lawyer, I could get the criminal charges dismissed!
I showed up at the arraignment with my client and we entered a not guilty plea. After this, I entered into negotiations with the local prosecutor. We set the case up for another pretrial conference, but the case never made it that far! A few weeks later, I got a notice that the prosecutor was going to have the criminal charges dismissed!
October 4th, 2016
at 63rd district court, we had a client facing serious felony charges. He was hoping to get his life back and have a chance to avoid a long prison sentence.
The outstanding results we got our client made his day! He clapped his hands and thanked us for being his attorney! His mom and stepdad were also thrilled with the results!
Our client had to plead guilty to a simple 93-day misdemeanor for shoplifting. In exchange for his guilty plea, the prosecutor dismissed two ten year felony charges and habitual offender fourth offense notice.
Attorney Shawn Haff
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