Contact Czarnecki & Taylor PLLC
Michigan Criminal Defense and Criminal Appeals
Czarnecki & Taylor PLLC represents individuals facing serious criminal cases throughout Michigan, including matters at the trial, appellate, and post-conviction stages. Our practice includes criminal defense, Michigan criminal appeals, applications for leave to appeal, sentencing appeals, ineffective assistance of counsel claims, MCR 6.500 motions for relief from judgment, and other complex criminal matters.
If you or a family member needs help understanding what can still be done in a criminal case, we invite you to contact us and discuss the circumstances confidentially.
A Criminal Case May Not End With the Trial Court
A conviction, sentence, or unfavorable ruling does not necessarily mean that every legal option has been exhausted.
Michigan appellate law involves its own rules, deadlines, standards of review, preservation requirements, procedural requirements, and methods of analyzing the trial-court record. A meaningful appellate review therefore requires much more than simply disagreeing with the result.
An appellate attorney must identify what happened in the lower court, determine which issues have legal significance, examine the transcripts and record closely, research the controlling law, distinguish unfavorable authority when possible, and present the strongest available arguments within Michigan’s appellate rules.
That type of analysis is a major focus of this website and an important part of the work performed by Czarnecki & Taylor PLLC.
If you are considering an appeal, begin by reading our Michigan Criminal Appeals resources or our detailed guide to the Michigan Appeal Process.
Appellate Experience Backed by Trial-Court Experience
James Czarnecki’s appellate practice is strengthened by substantial experience representing defendants in Michigan trial courts.
That distinction matters.
Understanding appellate law is important, but understanding what actually occurs during plea proceedings, motions, evidentiary hearings, preliminary examinations, sentencing hearings, and trials can be equally important when examining a record for error.
James has represented criminal defendants at both the trial and appellate levels and has handled appeals involving complex questions of criminal law and procedure. His appellate work includes representation before the Michigan Court of Appeals and Michigan Supreme Court.
His experience includes representing the defendant in People v. Gonzalez-Raymundo, 308 Mich App 175, a published Michigan Court of Appeals decision involving significant questions concerning criminal procedure and the effectiveness of defense counsel.
Rather than asking prospective clients to rely only on advertising language, this site increasingly documents the legal issues, cases, appellate decisions, and advocacy that demonstrate the type of work our attorneys perform.
If you are considering an appeal, begin by reading this blog’s Michigan Criminal Appeals resources or our detailed guide to the Michigan Appeal Process. Read our website page on Michigan Criminal Appeals as well.
Criminal Defense for Michigan Criminal Charges
Czarnecki & Taylor PLLC provides criminal defense representation for individuals accused of crimes throughout Michigan.
Whether the allegation involves a misdemeanor, felony, drunk-driving offense, assaultive crime, property offense, financial crime, drug charge, probation violation, or another criminal accusation, the first priority is understanding the evidence, the prosecution’s theory, the potential consequences, and the defenses available under Michigan law.
Our representation may include cases involving:
- Assault and assaultive offenses
- Domestic violence
- Operating while intoxicated and other drunk-driving offenses
- Drug possession and delivery charges
- Theft, retail fraud, and property crimes
- Embezzlement and financial offenses
- Weapons offenses
- Criminal sexual conduct allegations
- Homicide and other serious felony charges
- Probation violations
- Traffic-related criminal offenses
- Disorderly conduct and misdemeanor offenses
- Felony prosecutions
- Habitual-offender proceedings
- Other Michigan criminal charges
The seriousness of a criminal case is not measured solely by whether the charge is labeled a misdemeanor or felony. Even a misdemeanor conviction can affect employment, professional licensing, immigration status, driving privileges, firearm rights, housing, and a person’s reputation.
For serious felony charges, the consequences can be dramatically greater.
That is why criminal defense should begin with a careful examination of the government’s evidence rather than an assumption that a police report or charging decision tells the entire story.
Depending on the case, effective representation may involve examining body-camera or surveillance footage, interviewing witnesses, challenging searches or statements, analyzing forensic or scientific evidence, filing motions, conducting evidentiary hearings, negotiating for a dismissal or reduction when appropriate, preparing mitigation, or taking the case to trial.
Czarnecki & Taylor’s role is not simply to process a case through the court system. It is to identify the strongest lawful strategy available based upon the facts, evidence, applicable law, and the client’s individual circumstances.
Genevieve Taylor and James Czarnecki bring substantial criminal-defense experience to that process, handling the most serious of charges with not guilty verdicts in cases such as attempted murder, criminal sexual conduct, domestic violence, among many other charges. You can review our track record here.
The combination of trial and appellate work gives the firm an important perspective: we understand both how criminal cases are litigated in the trial court and how those proceedings are later examined when a conviction or sentence is challenged on appeal.
Contact Us About a Michigan Criminal Appeal
Appeals are particularly time-sensitive.
Different procedures and deadlines may apply depending on whether the case resulted from a trial or guilty plea, whether an appeal by right is available, whether an application for leave to appeal is required, whether the challenge concerns the conviction or sentence, and whether the case has already proceeded through the ordinary appellate process.
Do not assume that an error cannot be challenged simply because the trial court has already entered judgment.
Likewise, do not assume that every unfavorable outcome provides a valid appellate issue.
A careful review of the record is often necessary to determine the difference.
Czarnecki & Taylor can evaluate matters involving issues such as:
- Michigan criminal appeals
- Applications for leave to appeal
- Michigan Court of Appeals proceedings
- Michigan Supreme Court applications
- Sentencing appeals
- Ineffective assistance of counsel
- Prosecutorial misconduct
- Evidentiary errors
- Constitutional violations
- Guilty-plea appeals
- MCR 6.500 motions for relief from judgment
- Other post-conviction remedies
What Happens When You Contact Czarnecki & Taylor?
Our goal is to understand the case before making promises about it.
For an appellate or post-conviction matter, useful information may include the charges, county and court, date of conviction, date of sentencing, whether the conviction followed a plea or trial, whether an appeal has previously been filed, and whether transcripts or appellate records are available.
After learning the procedural history of the case, we can better determine what type of review may be appropriate and what additional records may be necessary.
Every case is different. No responsible attorney can guarantee that a conviction will be reversed, a new trial will be granted, or a sentence will be changed. What we can provide is careful legal analysis, experienced advocacy, and an evaluation based upon the facts, record, and law applicable to your particular case.
Choosing an Attorney for a Serious Criminal Matter
We believe prospective clients should look beyond marketing claims when choosing criminal counsel.
Read the attorney’s analysis. Examine the cases the attorney has handled. Consider whether the lawyer understands both trial practice and appellate procedure. Look at whether the attorney can explain complicated legal issues clearly and whether the attorney’s experience matches the problem you are facing.
That is one reason we have developed this site into more than a conventional law-firm advertisement.
The Michigan Docket is intended to provide substantive information about Michigan criminal law and particularly Michigan criminal appeals. Our articles address appellate procedure, important court decisions, sentencing, ineffective assistance of counsel, post-conviction remedies, and other issues that frequently arise when defendants and their families are trying to determine what happens next.
We encourage you to read those materials and learn about our approach before deciding whether to contact us.
Speak With Czarnecki & Taylor PLLC
If you are facing criminal charges, considering a Michigan criminal appeal, challenging a sentence, or trying to determine whether post-conviction relief remains available, contact Czarnecki & Taylor PLLC.
A criminal case can involve consequences that extend far beyond the courtroom. When there is a legitimate issue to investigate, the quality of the legal analysis matters.
Call Czarnecki & Taylor PLLC at (586) 718-2345 to discuss your case.
Czarnecki & Taylor PLLC
59 N. Walnut Street; Suite 200
Mount Clemens, Michigan 48043
James Czarnecki: (586) 718-2345
Genevieve Taylor: (586) 350-6044
Serving clients in criminal defense, criminal appeals, and post-conviction matters throughout Michigan.