Michigan Criminal Appeal Lawyers
Representation for conviction appeals, sentencing challenges, and post-conviction relief throughout Michigan.
Czarnecki & Taylor PLLC examines the record, identifies supported grounds for relief, and develops the evidence and legal arguments your case requires. Attorney James Czarnecki brings more than two decades of criminal-law experience, including appellate work involving vacated convictions and published Michigan precedent.
If you or a family member is considering an appeal, contact our office to discuss representation. Early review helps identify the available procedure and filing deadlines.
Criminal Appeals and Post-Conviction Matters We Handle
Czarnecki & Taylor PLLC represents clients throughout Michigan in matters involving:
Conviction appeals: challenges following felony or misdemeanor trials.
Plea appeals: review of guilty and no-contest pleas and the issues that remain available after a plea.
Sentencing challenges: review of sentencing errors, scoring issues, and potentially invalid sentences.
Appellate applications and hearings: applications for leave to appeal, Michigan Court of Appeals proceedings, Michigan Supreme Court applications, and motions to remand for evidentiary hearings.
Post-conviction relief: MCR 6.500 motions for relief from judgment when that procedure is available.
How We Approach Your Appeal
1. Examine the record and procedural history
We review the transcripts, pleadings, court rulings, sentencing materials, and prior appellate proceedings to identify supported issues and the available procedure.
2. Develop the facts the claim requires
Some issues can be decided on the existing record. Others may require investigation, supporting records, witness interviews, expert consultation, or a request for an evidentiary hearing. A Ginther hearing may be appropriate to develop an ineffective-assistance claim.
3. Present focused legal arguments
We evaluate preservation, the applicable standard of review, prejudice, and the relief the court can grant. The aim is a clear, supported argument that explains both the error and why it matters.
The Right Procedure Depends on Your Case
An appeal generally reviews what happened in the lower court; it does not simply retry the case. The available route depends on whether the conviction followed a trial or plea, the date of the judgment, and any prior appeal.
After a trial: counsel reviews the record for legal errors affecting the conviction or sentence. After a plea: the issues and route to review are different, and additional steps in the trial court may be required. After the direct appeal: a motion for relief from judgment may be available, subject to separate requirements and limits.
Our Michigan Docket guides explain the Michigan criminal appeal process and appeals after a guilty plea.
Potential Grounds for Relief
A review may identify issues involving ineffective assistance of counsel, insufficient evidence, sentencing errors, improper admission or exclusion of evidence, jury instructions, plea proceedings, prosecutorial misconduct, or other constitutional violations.
Newly discovered evidence may also require investigation and a different procedural route. Whether an issue supports relief depends on the record, preservation, the governing legal standard, and the effect of the error.
Read more about grounds for a criminal appeal in Michigan and challenging a Michigan criminal sentence.
Appellate Advocacy Beyond the Briefs
Attorney James Czarnecki's appellate work includes published Michigan precedent, post-conviction litigation resulting in vacated convictions, evidentiary hearings, and constitutional litigation as a cooperating attorney with the ACLU of Michigan.
That experience includes developing claims outside the original trial record and litigating the factual questions needed for appellate review. Learn more about our attorneys and review our case results.
Selected Appellate Experience and Results
These examples illustrate different kinds of appellate and post-conviction work. Every case depends on its own facts and procedural history. Past results do not guarantee or predict a similar outcome.
Gonzalez-Raymundo: published decision affirming a new trial
James Czarnecki represented the defendant in litigation concerning the absence of simultaneous interpretation at trial. He obtained a remand and litigated the evidentiary hearing. The trial court granted a new trial, and the Court of Appeals affirmed in People v. Gonzalez-Raymundo, 308 Mich App 175 (2014), a published opinion addressing a defendant's right to interpretation and meaningful participation in the defense.
McClure: three felonious-assault convictions reversed
In Czarnecki's appeal for Corey McClure, the Court of Appeals reversed three felonious-assault convictions because the prosecution had not proved the dangerous-weapon element. The court affirmed the remaining convictions and remanded for resentencing if necessary. Read the McClure case study.
MCR 6.500: three felony convictions vacated
In a Macomb County case, Czarnecki challenged three drug-related felony convictions after identifying a problem involving Holmes Youthful Trainee Act eligibility and the pleas. The court vacated the convictions, and the prosecution later agreed not to pursue the charges again. Read about the post-conviction result.
Beauchamp: evidentiary hearing and trial-court new-trial order
Appellate attorney Gerald Lorence brought Czarnecki into a first-degree murder case to conduct a court-ordered Ginther hearing. After that hearing, the trial court granted a new trial. The Court of Appeals later reversed the new-trial ruling and reinstated the convictions. Czarnecki's role was the remand hearing, not the later appellate proceeding.
Peña: appellate work leading to a confession of error
Working with Gerald Lorence, Czarnecki reviewed the transcripts, researched the issues, and assisted in preparing appellate pleadings. The prosecution ultimately filed a confession of error acknowledging that relief was warranted.
Brown v. Kolenda / People v. James: access to appellate counsel
Czarnecki served as a cooperating attorney with the ACLU of Michigan in litigation concerning appointed appellate counsel for indigent defendants after guilty or no-contest pleas. The work followed the United States Supreme Court's decision in Halbert v. Michigan.
For explanations and related articles, visit our Michigan Docket criminal appeals resource hub.
Have Your Appeal Reviewed Promptly
Criminal appeals and post-conviction motions have filing deadlines and procedural requirements. The applicable deadline depends on the judgment or order, the type of case, and the route to review. Contact counsel promptly rather than relying on a general deadline found online.
If the ordinary appeal period has passed, ask whether any other procedure remains available. Our Michigan MCR 6.500 attorneys page explains motions for relief from judgment and the limits that require individual review.
Discuss Your Michigan Criminal Appeal
If you or a family member is considering an appeal, contact Czarnecki & Taylor PLLC to discuss representation. We represent clients in criminal appeals and post-conviction matters throughout Michigan.
For the initial conversation, have the court and case number, sentencing date, and information about any prior appeal available. These details help identify the procedural history and next steps.
Call (586) 718-2345 or use our contact page to request a conversation.