Nolan Law Updates

Known more commonly as “R & O”, this criminal offense is considered an assault on a police officer. The R & O actually stands for resisting & obstructing, however, the statute covers “assault, batter, wound, resist, obstruct, oppose, or endanger a person who the individual knows or has reason to know is performing his or…

Michigan has many different variations of assault. One of the more common is domestic violence. Domestic violence covers those assaults where there is a domestic relationship between the parties, offender and victim. The domestic relationship includes spouses, those with children in common, those who are or were previously members of the same household, and those…

Some of the more common offenses that criminal defendants face are those involving drugs. The most common charge involving drugs is simple possession. The next most serious group of drug offenses are deliveries, which is the transfer of those drugs to another person. This post will cover the very basics of each. In Michigan, drug…

This post is meant to discuss Michigan prosecutor’s charging discretion, how those decisions come into play with the preliminary examination, and common strategies and pitfalls employed by criminal defense attorneys. In Michigan felony cases, criminal defendants as well as prosecutors enjoy a statutory right to a hearing called a preliminary examination. After arraignment in District…

Criminal offenses are divided into two (or three–keep reading) levels, which are misdemeanors and felonies. The most basic difference is the duration of possible incarceration.

When can you legally use deadly force to protect yourself? If you ask five of your friends, you’ll probably get five varying answers. The Michigan Self Defense Act (MSDA) took effect in 2006. The MSDA changed Michigan law on the use of deadly force. The most important facet of the MSDA is that it removed…

This post will cover the process that one will go through if they are arrested and charged with a felony in Michigan. How does a defendant’s criminal case begin? It can begin in one of two ways, but both always start with law enforcement. On one hand, the person can be arrested on the spot…