Washtenaw County is a unique place to practice law due to the population fluctuation from the University of Michigan, and hosting seven to eight college football games every fall. The 2010 census population for the county was 344,791, but that does not account for the approximate 45,000 undergraduate and graduate students, and the 110,000 visitors on a football Saturday. These means that at one time, there could be half a million people in the county, with a good portion of those people gathered within a mile or two radius in downtown Ann Arbor.
These factors lend themselves to a lot of out of towners charged with crimes, along with college-aged students who are barely moved out of their parents homes thousands of miles away. I’d say half of my practice involves either a University of Michigan student or an out of town visitor. I spend a lot of time explaining the process to the client, even more than if the client is from the area, and somewhat familiar with the process.
Simple questions like, where is the courthouse, or is this really a misdemeanor, because it’s a civil infraction in my state are frequent questions I hear. I also spend a lot of time speaking to parents, spouses, family members and friends, because the client requests that a third party be involved in the process when selecting an attorney. It’s my goal to educate the potential client on their Washtenaw County case, and make sure they understand the process from day one. I expect active participation for my client, and I am very selective in who I agree to represent.
These factors lend themselves to a lot of out of towners charged with crimes, along with college-aged students who are barely moved out of their parents homes thousands of miles away. I’d say half of my practice involves either a University of Michigan student or an out of town visitor. I spend a lot of time explaining the process to the client, even more than if the client is from the area, and somewhat familiar with the process.
Simple questions like, where is the courthouse, or is this really a misdemeanor, because it’s a civil infraction in my state are frequent questions I hear. I also spend a lot of time speaking to parents, spouses, family members and friends, because the client requests that a third party be involved in the process when selecting an attorney. It’s my goal to educate the potential client on their Washtenaw County case, and make sure they understand the process from day one. I expect active participation for my client, and I am very selective in who I agree to represent.
