Detroit Criminal Appeals Attorney
Challenging Wayne County Convictions with 25+ Years of Appellate Experience
Wayne County is Michigan's most populous county and home to Detroit — Michigan's largest city and one of the nation's most significant urban centers. The volume and complexity of criminal cases processed through the Wayne County Circuit Court each year is enormous, and with that volume comes a significant rate of legal error — errors in jury instructions, evidentiary rulings, sentencing calculations, and constitutional protections. Attorney Michael B. Skinner of Skinner Law Office has spent over 25 years identifying and arguing those errors before Michigan's appellate courts.
If you or a family member was convicted of a crime in Detroit or anywhere in Wayne County — whether in Wayne County Circuit Court or the Detroit Recorder's Court legacy system — and you believe something went wrong during the investigation, arrest, or trial, Skinner Law Office is ready to review your case. Attorney Skinner has been recognized by the Detroit Free Press as an expert in Michigan appellate law, and his deep familiarity with Wayne County cases and the Michigan Court of Appeals makes him one of the most capable criminal appeals attorneys serving Detroit.
Wayne County Criminal Courts and the Appeal Process
Felony convictions in Detroit are entered in the Wayne County Circuit Court, located in downtown Detroit at the Coleman A. Young Municipal Center. Appeals from Wayne County Circuit Court go to the Michigan Court of Appeals, which has a Detroit location at 3020 W. Grand Blvd. From there, cases can proceed to the Michigan Supreme Court in Lansing. Federal constitutional claims may ultimately be brought in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan, also located in Detroit.
The 42-day deadline to file a claim of appeal as of right begins running from the date of sentencing in the Wayne County Circuit Court. This deadline is jurisdictional — courts have no power to extend it in most circumstances. If you have recently been sentenced in a Detroit or Wayne County case, every day matters. Call (248) 693-4100 today.
Why Detroit Defendants and Families Trust Skinner Law Office
Attorney Michael Skinner began his legal career as an appellate law clerk at a downtown Detroit law firm specializing in appellate practice. He spent five years in that role before earning his law degree from Wayne State University Law School — located in the heart of Detroit — where he graduated magna cum laude while working full-time. His roots in Detroit's legal community run deep, and his understanding of the Wayne County courts and the patterns of error that appear in those cases is unmatched by generalist attorneys.
Skinner Law Office is located in Lake Orion, Oakland County — approximately 35 miles north of downtown Detroit. But appellate representation does not require a courthouse presence in Detroit. Attorney Skinner reviews records, drafts briefs, and argues cases in the Michigan Court of Appeals on behalf of Wayne County clients throughout the state.
Types of Detroit Criminal Cases Attorney Skinner Appeals
Detroit and Wayne County criminal cases span every category of serious felony offense. Attorney Skinner has experience appealing convictions across all of these charge types:
- First and second degree murder — including cases involving the felony murder rule
- Criminal sexual conduct — first, second, third and fourth degree
- Armed robbery and carjacking
- Home invasion — first and second degree
- Drug trafficking and delivery
- Assault with intent to murder or do great bodily harm
- Firearms offenses — felon in possession, felony firearm
- Solicitation to commit murder
- Larceny and receiving stolen property
- White collar crimes — fraud, embezzlement, identity theft
Proven Results in Detroit and Wayne County Appeals
Attorney Skinner's track record in Wayne County cases includes results that changed lives. He has won new trials after proving that trial counsel failed to test physical evidence that would have supported self-defense claims. He has secured the release of clients wrongly convicted of armed robbery — clients who subsequently obtained civil judgments against the Detroit Police Department. He has reduced decades-long sentences by presenting evidence that trial courts failed to adequately consider at sentencing. These are not abstract victories — they are real outcomes for real Detroit families.
Federal Habeas Corpus for Detroit Defendants
When Wayne County defendants have exhausted Michigan's state appellate process, federal habeas corpus may provide one final path to relief. Attorney Skinner is admitted to the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan, the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals, and the United States Supreme Court. He has experience identifying which constitutional claims are most viable in federal habeas proceedings under AEDPA's demanding standard and pursuing them effectively.
Contact Skinner Law Office — Detroit's Trusted Criminal Appeals Attorney
Skinner Law Office serves Detroit and all of Wayne County. Call (248) 693-4100 or email mskinner@mskinner.com to begin your case evaluation with Attorney Michael B. Skinner directly. If you are searching for a criminal appeals attorney near Detroit, you have found one with the experience and record to fight effectively for your rights.
