Jonathan Andrew Paul

My name is Jonathan Paul, and I solve problems for you. If you have come to my website looking for a “criminal defense attorney”; that is no what I consider myself. If you view yourself as a criminal, then I may not be the best fit for your case. If you view yourself as someone who got involved in an isolated moment in time, where a crime may have happened, then that is the type of case that I help clients with every single day. Do you see the difference there? If you do, you may be a good fit for a spot on my limited client roster.
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Clients like you focus on the police report to define the case; it can be disheartening to read the narrative about the incident, review the evidence and bring yourself back to the worst moment in your life. I spent years as a prosecutor wondering why attorneys were doing the same thing. Police reports and evidence collected are not favorable to the person charged with the crime; if the case was all about the evidence, then it is a slam dunk for the prosecutor. I know, because I was a prosecutor in New York City and here in Michigan.

If we only use the police report and evidence then the case will define you as a criminal; you’re still on my website because you want something different, but you’re not sure what this is yet.

As your lawyer, I totally change the rules of the game. We do not ignore what happened in the report, but we certainly don’t focus on it or rely on it to get you a great outcome. We take a totally different approach working together, which allows us to look beyond the four corners of the report. If there are issues with the evidence, we explore all leverage and opportunity, but we spend a lot of time highlighting the “real you”; we control what we can control, and that’s the present and your future goals.

As my client, you would begin a series of proactive steps on day one; this allows you to take control of your case, and impact it every single day. Having a plan, goals and task takes stress off your chest, and allows you to focus in on learning from this life changing event. This happened for a reason, and we are going to turn this negative into a positive for you.

You as my client turn one of the worst moments in your life, into an opportunity for reflection and growth. You will turn liabilities into assets with a goal of long-term success. This can either be the worst day, or best day for you as my client. We work to embrace the best day approach, and use it as an opportunity for growth, reflection, and learning a major life lesson. Accept the challenge and be better for it in the long-term. Here is an example and a story about one of my clients:

My client’s name is Ryan, and they have a family; Ryan has 2 children and is happily married. Ryan has a good job in a professional industry and is advancing quickly at their company. Because of the upward trend with the company, Ryan is working a lot of hours and is under a lot of stress.

Ryan has never had any issues with the law and is not typically a drinker. Ryan values law enforcement respects the law and has served on a jury before in a case where Ryan convicted someone of drunk driving. If you asked Ryan about drunk driving, they would say that all drunk drivers should lose their license, go to jail and be punished, because it puts families and the community in danger. Ryan is actually a member of Mother’s Against Drunk Driving. Most would think Ryan would be the last person to get arrested by the police.

Well guess what? Ryan is now charged with drunk driving after crashing into a divider on the highway. How? Well Ryan just finished a big project at work and was out celebrating with work friends. Ryan’s plan was to have a drink and dinner with co-workers then head home to help put the kids to bed; Ryan was enjoying the night, and one glass of wine turned into 4 glasses of wine.

Ryan like thousands of others in Michigan has no intention of breaking the law, doesn’t even drink alcohol on a regular basis, but Ryan was stressed at work, was releasing some of that stress with a celebration, and allowed the social aspect of the night to take over.

Ryan calls me on the weekend and tells me what happened; struggling with possible loss of license, going to jail, having a criminal record and being ashamed of what happened. Ryan is also struggling with having to face family and co-workers; Ryan never ever thought this could happen, and one night could change life for the very worst.

Ryan is a ball of stress and anxiety and has no idea what to do; Ryan feels like the walls are closing in; first temptation is to feel like the victim; why did the police conduct a traffic stop? was I really over the limit, is there a way out of this? Ten minutes into discussing the case with me, Ryan realizes that there is a different approach to the case; Ryan does not need to stress about what happened with the wine, driving then crashing the car, and being arrested.

Ryan can instead go outside the four corners of the report and create a new case; the case where Ryan is proactive on day one with a comprehensive plan and goals to work toward. A plan which impresses the prosecutor, judge, police and probation; an approach which works no matter what’s in the police report.

Ryan starts the call “looking for the best outcome” and ends the call realizing that the best outcome is involves a complete transformation. This means that we focus on Ryan, and not the car crash and the drunk driving facts. By making this about Ryan’s transformation, we can get the police, prosecutor, probation and judge onboard with our version of what’s important in the case. Ryan will define a WIN by the changes made personally during this case; that will also lead to a great outcome for the court case.

This story about Ryan works for all different types of charges and clients. My reviews from past clients tell these same stories. I’ve written nine books on criminal defense in Michigan, and I’ve been a prosecutor in two different states after graduating from a Top Ten law school (The University of Michigan). I’ve recognized by Super Lawyers Magazine; the prestigious magazine selects the top 2.5 percent of attorneys in Michigan, and I only take on a limited amount of new cases each month.
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I will take every call, email and text message; if your case is a good fit for my firm, and I have room, we can get to work; if I don’t have room, I will make an excellent recommendation of another attorney for you. My number is 248-924-9458 or you can email me.