driver's license restoration

• To get back your driver’s license, you have to go through a process that includes a hearing at the Michigan Secretary of State, Office of Hearings and Administrative Oversight, an office which is usually referred to by it old name, which is Driver License Appeal Division (DLAD).
• For much of Southeast Michigan, those hearings are held at an office in Livonia. There are other locations in the surrounding area, but those are video sites, with the Hearing Officer somewhere else.

• You have to overcome a presumption that you are a “habitual violator” of the drunk driving laws.
• You have to present “clear and convincing evidence” to make the Hearing Officer accept the idea that the Secretary of State should give you back any driving privileges.
  

• I will meet with you to explain the process.
• I will get background information from you so I will understand what brought you to the point of losing your license, that is, what was going on in your life back at the time of your arrests.
• I will also discuss with you what measures you have taken to address any alcohol or other substance issues you have had, such as counseling or support group activities like Alcholics Anonymous (AA). (Keep in mind, there are no magic bullets to getting a license back, and there are many misconceptions of what is required to get a license back.)
• I will also discuss with you the requirement of what are called “community supports”, which are letters from people you know. These letters are absolutely critical to your success at DLAD, and I will spend a great deal of time helping you understand what topics need to be covered in the letters, and making sure that the letters, once written, effectively show who you now are.
• Before a Request for Hearing is sent to DLAD, I will review all of the information being submitted, to make sure it is clear and complete.
• At the hearing, I will guide you through your testimony, so you are sure to testify on all the points that need to be covered. This is a very individualized part of the process, and results in an effective presentation of your good qualities to the Hearing Officer.
• I also will make a “Closing Argument” to the Hearing Officer, to convince the Hearing Officer that driving privileges should be granted.

• The driver should request a Hearing at DLAD to contest the re-revocation. I can assist you in that hearing.
• The issues in such a hearing are sometimes related to “dirty blows” on the breath interlock or skipped retests. If there are explanations for those problems, I will be able to help you present the information to the Hearing Officer to try to get the Secretary of State to give you back your restricted license.
  

• I can help at that stage, even if I did not represent you in your previous hearing or hearings at the Secretary of State.