Clearing an old OWI from your Michigan record
Michigan law changed in a real way, and a lot of people have not heard yet. For years a drunk driving conviction stayed on your record for good, showing up on every background check a landlord or boss ran, long after you had paid your fines and finished probation. The rule is different now. Under the state Clean Slate reforms, a first drunk driving conviction can be set aside once enough time has passed, and the wait runs five years from the end of your sentence or probation, whichever lands later. Still, the conviction does not clear on its own, and that catches a lot of people off guard. You file a petition. It goes to the same court that handled your case, and then a judge weighs it and decides whether to grant it. We walk Dearborn drivers through that filing from the first question all the way to the final hearing.
Here is how we handle the work. First we pull your full driving and court history, which shows us exactly what is on file and which counts qualify under the new law. Then we draft the petition, gather every record the court asks for, and serve the prosecutor in the exact way the rules require. One missed step can send the whole thing back to the start, so we track each deadline closely and leave nothing to chance. When the hearing date arrives, we stand next to you and make the case for why this set aside serves both you and the city. Most people we meet are nervous about facing a judge again. That is normal. Part of our job is to carry that weight, answer the judge, and let you look ahead instead of back.
- We confirm whether your conviction truly qualifies under Michigan law before you spend a single hour or any hope on a filing.
- We prepare and submit the full petition so every page meets the standard the convicting court expects to see.
- We notify the prosecutor and the state police in the exact way Michigan rules demand, and we do it on time.
- We stand beside you at the hearing and speak right to the judge, so you never have to face that room alone.
- We explain in plain words what a granted set aside changes, and the few narrow places where the old record can still show.
A granted petition matters far more than most people expect. Once a judge sets the conviction aside, it no longer shows on the public record that the average boss or landlord pulls up. On many job and housing forms you can honestly say you have not been convicted, though a few narrow exceptions still apply to police work and some state agencies. For a lot of our Dearborn neighbors that one change means a real shot at a better job, a lease that finally gets approved, or a trade permit they were told they would never hold. We also help you gather proof of the steady, law abiding life you have built since the arrest, because a judge wants to see the person you are today and not only the file from years ago. The law gives you one clean break. We make sure the paperwork is right and the timing is sound, so a small slip never costs you the chance you waited five long years to earn.
If a past OWI is still holding you back in Dearborn, call us today. We will tell you straight whether you qualify and what the path forward looks like. There is no reason to carry an old conviction one day longer than the law requires.
