McDuffey Law, PLLC

Phone line is back up and running. Thank you.

Our phone lines will be down throughout the day as our office moves to its new location. If you need to reach us please call 517-245-8086. Thank you.

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A handwritten will can absolutely be valid and legal in Michigan. But why chance it, come see your favorite Estate Planning attorney and let’s discuss how a plan would best meet the needs of your family.

Jury decides 2014 document found in Aretha Franklin's couch is a valid will A jury in Michigan says a document handwritten by singer Aretha Franklin and found in her couch after her death is a valid will

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Let 2023 be the year you get your affairs in order. The Davis-Dunnings Bar Association is presenting The Nuts and Bolts of getting your affairs in order. Come out and join and esteemed panel of attorneys and judges to discuss the importance of planning and how to get started.
When: Saturday February 4, 2023

Time: 9am

Where:Hannah Community Center in East Lansing

Cost: FREE with a light breakfast included

McDuffey Law wishes you a Happy New Year! May it be your best ever!

McDuffey Law wishes everyone a safe and joyous holiday season.

Attorney McDuffey joined colleagues Attorney Augustin of Augustin Law and Attorney Walker of Oakes Law Firm at a Christmas party. An enjoyable evening was had by all. Tis the season to enjoy time with family, friends, and colleagues.

The Black Women Lawyers Association of Michigan congratulates our newly appointed, Justice Kyra Harris-Bolden! We are so proud of you on becoming the first Black Woman to serve on Michigan's Supreme Court! 🖤⚖️

With thanks in our heart, McDuffey Law, PLLC wishes you a joyful, safe and happy Thanksgiving holiday. May it be filled with blessings, family, friends, foods, and of course football!

McDuffey Law, PLLC would be grateful to serve you with your legal needs. We can be reached at 517-245-2280 or through our website at www.McDuffeyLawPLLC.com

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For the past three days, we’ve been in court litigating against Michigan’s 1931 abortion ban—alongside Governor Gretchen Whitmer’s team from Michigan Department of Attorney General, and Oakland Prosecutor Karen McDonald.

Today, we won. A judge just issued a ruling BLOCKING county prosecutors from enforcing that archaic law.

Judge Cunningham’s decision was thorough & powerful. It held the anti-abortion law likely violates constitutional protections around due process, equal protection, & bodily integrity.

It expressly discredited the witnesses from the other side, & credited the Governor’s.

It’s been an honor litigating alongside such great lawyers this week—including (in addition to my colleague Prosecutor McDonald):

-Christina Grossi, Linus Banghart-Linn, & Kyla Barranco from AG’s office
-Butch Hollowell, David Williams, & Angela Baldwin for Prosecutor McDonald
-And and (last but not least) our own counsel from Public Rights Project, including Jon Miller & Michael Adame—who did excellent cross-examination of one of the other side’s two witnesses yesterday.

Finally, in addition to Prosecutor McDonald & myself, we’ve been joined in our briefing by a coalition of Democratic prosecutors across Michigan, including Kym Worthy (Wayne), Carol Siemon (Ingham), David Leyton (Genesee), Matt Wiese (Marquette), and Jeff Getting (Kalamazoo).

Litigation will absolutely continue, and again, we’ll be standing for reproductive freedom every step of the way. But for today, a big win for women, people who can become pregnant, doctors, providers—and the State of Michigan as a whole.

Governor Gretchen Whitmer names new Kent County 17th Judicial Circuit Court judge - Michigan Lawyers Weekly https://buff.ly/3PoJuql

I’m sure this will end up in front of the SCOTUS. Will be an interesting case to follow.

Teen charged in deadly fire challenges police use of Google searches to find suspects Lawyers for a Denver teenager charged in an arson fire that killed five people contend that police unconstitutionally used Google’s database of keyword searches to find suspects.

If you or a loved one is in need of a trusted, reputable fiduciary contact McDuffey Law to discuss how we can assist you.

McDuffey Law wishes you best and brightest Christmas and Holiday season. Many blessings to you and your family. Remember we are here to assist with your legal needs year round.

https://www.abajournal.com/news/article/is-tire-chalking-a-fourth-amendment-violation-6th-circuit-says-exception-doesnt-protect-city

Is chalking tires a Fourth Amendment violation? Exception doesn't protect city, 6th Circuit says The city of Saginaw, Michigan, can’t cite an administrative search exception to the Fourth Amendment's warrant requirement to justify chalking tires, a federal appeals court has ruled.

Today Gov. Whitmer signed new legislation expanding the new expungement laws to include first offense OWI. This is great news for an estimated 200,000 non-repeat offenders. See the press release below for more information.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

August 24, 2021

Contact: [email protected]



Governor Whitmer Signs Legislation Allowing Clean Slate for Non-Repeat OWI Offenders, Protects Michigan Drivers by Ensuring that Michigan’s Legal BAC Limit Remains at .08



LANSING, Mich. -- Governor Whitmer yesterday signed House Bills 4219 and 4220, which will allow for expungement of convictions for a first violation of operating while intoxicated (OWI) under certain circumstances. The bills are expected to allow an estimated 200,000 non-repeat OWI offenders to have the opportunity for a second chance at a clean record. The governor also signed legislation that continues Michigan’s legal blood alcohol content (BAC) level for driving at .08, eliminating a planned sunset that would have increased the limit to .10.



“No one should be defined by a mistake they have made in the past,” said Governor Whitmer. “These bills allow Michiganders to move on from a past mistake in order to have a clean slate. We must clear a path for first-time offenders so that all residents are able to compete for jobs with a clean record and contribute to their communities in a positive way.”



The bills give those with OWI convictions the option to seek expungement of their first offense five years after probation ends. Applicants must submit a petition to the court, which would be reviewed and determined by a judge. Incidents that caused death or serious injury to a victim are not eligible.



“Safe & Just Michigan thanks Gov. Whitmer for signing these popular, bipartisan bills, which represent a long-awaited chance for a fresh start for tens of thousands of Michiganders whose opportunities have been limited by a single old DUI conviction,” Safe & Just Michigan Executive Director John S. Cooper said. “Drunk driving is a serious problem in Michigan, but permanently limiting a person’s ability to work and drive based on a one-time, decades-old mistake does not make sense. People who can show that their DUI conviction was a one-time mistake should have an opportunity to make a fresh start.”



“We are honored to work alongside many coalition partners to shed light on the needlessly harsh and racially-biased criminal legal system that especially impacts youth, Black people and communities of color,” says Shelli Weisberg, ACLU of Michigan Political Director. “The expungement law is another step forward in transforming our criminal legal system so that people have the opportunity to be restored and can contribute to their communities. We urge lawmakers to continue on this path of reform until the work is done.”



House Bill 4219 and House Bill 4220 will allow first-time OWI offense violators to be eligible for record expungement.



Together, the bills allow for the criminal record expungement of first-time offenses for:

Any person operating a vehicle with a BAC of .08 or more
Any person operating a vehicle while visibly impaired by alcohol or other controlled substance
A person under 21 years old operating a vehicle with a BAC of .02 or more
Any person from operating a vehicle with any bodily amount of co***ne or a Schedule 1 controlled substance


House Bill 4219 was sponsored by Rep. Tenisha Yancey, D-Grosse Pointe, and House Bill 4220 was sponsored by Rep. Joe Bellino, R-Monroe, and copies of the bills can be found here and here.



House Bill 4308 and House Bill 4309 will together amend the Michigan Vehicle Code and the Code of Criminal Procedure to maintain the state’s per se OWI presumption at a BAC level of .08. Without this legislation, Michigan BAC legal limit was set to rise to .10 on October 1, 2021, endangering Michigan drivers and costing the state millions in federal dollars.



“Michigan is the only state in the country not to have a firm .08 Blood Alcohol Concentration limit for operating a motor vehicle,” said Rep. Graham Filler. “Eliminating the sunset is not only the right thing to do, but it ensures the safety of those traveling on our roads."



House Bill 4308 was sponsored by Rep. Abdullah Hammoud, D-Dearborn, and House Bill 4309 was sponsored by Rep. Graham Filler, R-DeWitt, and copies of the bills can be found here and here.

Ingham County prosecutor: Office won't issue charges from non-safety-related traffic stops Ingham County's prosecutor says her office will no longer be charging crimes resulting from non-public safety related traffic stops.

Have the mistakes of your past been preventing you from moving forward? Michigan now has the Clean Slate Laws. Under the Clean Slate Laws, more Michiganders are eligible to have their criminal records expunged. Let McDuffey Law assist you in getting your Clean Slate and move forward with the fresh start you deserve. You can contact us at 517-245-2280, [email protected], or via our website at McDuffeyLawPLLC.com

‘It’s going to open doors for a whole class of people’: Clean Slate bill goes into effect A WMU law professor and criminal defense attorney say they’re

CARE is so excited to be collaborating with the Lansing Police Department and Sparrow Hospital's Forensic Nurses to present our April Sexual Assault Awareness Month Donation Drive!

If you'd like to donate please check out our amazon wish list at tinyurl.com/carewishlist or reach out to us to coordinate collection. Better yet, stay tuned for our drive thru donation event at the end of the month to make dropping off donations even easier. Details on this event will be posted soon!

Virginia’s Abolition Of The Death Penalty Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam signed the bill yesterday.

Thriving When You’re Surviving: Excelling Professionally During Personal Crisis As lawyers, and particularly as lawyer moms, we are more likely to pretend everything is alright and less likely to seek help when needed.

Gov. Whitmer launches task force on forensic science The Democratic governor signed an executive order to establish the task force, which will recommend methodology improvements