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Wednesday, August 12, 2015
By Michael Nichols
Categories: Michael J. Nichols
The team at the Nichols Lsw Firm of East Lansing did not take the summer off in 2015 and showed everyone why we are "committed to results." William Livingston (Bill) obtained a dismissal of a drunk driving charge for a client in exchange for a careless driving 3-point civil infraction. That is his second dismissal in his first year of practice. Livingston also co-counseled his first trial already with Mike Nichols in a moving violation causing death case and the pair obtained a not guilty verdict for their client.
Nick Calkins co-counseled an OWI trial for a commercial driver license holder in 55th District Court with Mike Nichols. The result: Not Guilty! The client had to go to trial because even sobriety court would have meant the revocation of his CDL and the loss of his job. The jury came back in 42 minutes with the verdict despite a breath alcohol estimate of .18/.17 grams per 210 liters of breath.
Wendy Schiller-Nichols meanwhile secured a half million dollars in recovery in 2 cases that she settled for her clients. Schiller-Nichols is a personal injury attorney, who represents injured people all over the state. "Central to maximizing the recovery is patience and tenacity," she says.
Joshua Covert obtained the dismissal of a minor in possession charge in Clinton County. It was a complete dismissal. Covert also obtained a dismissal on a drunk and disorderly case for civil infraction tickets with no consequence to the client in Bath Township. "It was a matter of standing firm and being ready to go to trial," says Covert, who also is on the board for MILegalize - an effort to put marijuana legalization on the ballot in Michigan in 2016.
Stephanie Tzafaroglou wrote a brief in a drunk driving case, in which she represented a native of India with Mike Nichols. A suspected Miranda violation arose during an evidentiary hearing on another legal issue. The trial court subsequently granted the request to exclude all statements after the client was arrested. The result: a dismissal - complete dismissal. Tzafaroglou says: "we had to get a result that would have had no impact on our client's ability to travel back and forth between his home country and the United States.
Karen Phillips obtained a sentence for a client in a high-profile armed robbery case that was even below the 10 year minimum sentence that she negotiated. Phillips poked some holes in the prosecutor's theory during the preliminary examination. Phillips will also kick off the 2015-2016 season for the Ingham County Bar Association (ICBA) Criminal Law Section with a presentation on driver license restoration. Phillips has become a denizen of all things driver license in Michigan and will educate lawyers on navigating the Secretary of State's ever-changing process.
Mike Nichols is also educating judges. Nichols will present with 2 experts on the science of detecting and measuring drugs in human blood and the folly of detecting impairment by police officers on the roadside. Nichols is also updating West Publishing's "Michigan OWI Handbook" - a soup to nuts guide for Michigan lawyers. Nichols authored the first edition in 2009 and has updated the treatise each year ever since. "There are many changes in Michigan OWI law and other laws that effect lawyers defending citizens accused of OWI" he says. Nichols also will speak at the forensic metrology seminar in Atlanta in November, a national conference sponsored by the National College for DUI Defense.
For the lawyers who lead and are committed to results, call the Nichols Lawyers at 517.432.9000.