Grand Rapids Driver's License Restoration Attorney

Following a drunk driving conviction, too many traffic tickets, or a myriad of other reasons, the State of Michigan may suspend or revoke your right to drive. Remember, driving is considered in privilege in Michigan, not an inherent right. Nonetheless, for residents of Grand Rapids, getting around without a driver’s license can be very limiting. Although The Rapid public transport system in Grand Rapids is quite efficient and covers most of the downtown area as well as the suburbs, not being able to drive can hinder your ability to travel outside of Grand Rapids. Not having a driver’s license can also affect other parts of life, like going to the supermarket, rushing to work, or just dropping your children off at school.

If you’ve had your driver’s license suspended or revoked, for any reason, contact the Grand Rapids driver’s license attorneys at Grabel & Associates. The dedicated DL attorneys at Grabel & Associates are committed to helping you get your license back, whether helping you through the driver’s license reinstatement process or by appealing the Secretary of State’s decision to suspend or revoke your license. Furthermore, if you are facing a DUI, driving under the influence of drugs, reckless driving, or other charges that could result in a loss of your license, we can help.

Call our law firm today at 1-800-677-9795 for a free, no-obligation consultation.

Losing Driving Privileges in Grand Rapids

A common question that we hear at Grabel & Associates is, “How did I lose my driving privileges?” Truth is, there are many ways to get your license suspended or revoked in Michigan. The most obvious way, however, is accumulating 12 points against your license through moving violations, such as speeding, running a red light, failing to yield, and so on. Some other reasons include:

• DUI or driving under the influence of drugs — license suspension for a specific period of time. The length of the suspension depends on several factors, including whether it was your first or subsequent arrest.
• Driving without auto insurance — all vehicles in Michigan are required to be properly insured before operating on state roadways.
• Some driving violations — Reckless driving, excessive speeding, abandoning your vehicle after an accident, or causing an accident that resulted in a fatality, among other violations, can result in a suspension.
• Non-moving violations — Some non-moving violations can result in a suspension, such as failing to pay child support, failing to pay traffic tickets, not appearing in court, and so on.

Other ways that the State can suspend your license include joyriding, making a bomb threat, stealing gasoline, and giving a fake change of address to a police officer, the latter of which could result in a suspension of 180 days for a first offense (one-year suspension for a repeated offense).

Preparing for Your Driver's License Appeal Hearing

Multiple DUI/OWI or drug-related offenses can result in a long-term license suspension or revocation. If this is the case, the Michigan Secretary of State is assuming that you may have a problem with alcohol or drugs. Therefore, in order to have your driver’s license reinstated, you need to prove that you are sober and are no longer a risk to other drivers on the road.

To have your license reinstated, you need to request a hearing the Office of Hearings and Administrative Oversight section of Michigan Secretary of State (formally called the Administrative Hearings Section (AHS).

To prepare for your hearing, you’ll need to complete and send a Request for Hearing form and a Substance Abuse Evaluation form to the Secretary of State at the address below:

Michigan Department of State
Office of Hearings and Administrative Oversight 
P.O. Box 30196
Lansing, MI 48909-7696

The Substance Abuse Evaluation form must be dated not more than 3 months before the date it is received by the Department.

Notarized Letters From the Community

You should try and gather as much documentation about your past and current drinking and/or drug use. You can do this by obtaining notarized letters from your community and people who have frequent contact with you. Recognized support groups like Alcoholics Anonymous are a good source as well. You need more than three letters, but not more than six. In general, the letters should contain some of the information about you:

• Their relationship with you.
• How long they’ve known you.
• How often they see you.
• Their knowledge of your past and current drug and/or alcohol use. Specific details could include quantity, alcohol or drug of choice, frequency of use, and so on.
• Knowledge of your efforts to stay clean, your past or current involvement in treatment or a support group.
• Any other information that they believe could be important.

Call Your Driver’s License Attorneys Today

The restoration of your driver’s license will depend on many factors, but one of the most important factors is your choice in a driver’s license attorney. By calling the Grand Rapid’s attorneys at Grabel & Associates, you’ll have a leading attorney who’ll work with you, one-on-one, to help you through the license reinstatement or driver’s license hearing process. We’ll make sure that you have all of the necessary documentation, and we boast a 97% success rate at driver's license review hearings. Furthermore, our legal representation is backed by our firm’s guarantee — If you are not successful in obtaining driving privileges at your hearing with us at your side, our firm will represent you free of charge until you are back on the road.

For a free, no-obligation consultation, call our driver’s license law firm at 1-800-677-9795.