Since 2022, Hassan Zaarour has served as an attorney with Project Clean Slate, the City of Detroit program that helps residents clear their criminal records. Through that work he has handled the setting aside of more than a thousand convictions — which means a depth of experience with Michigan expungement law, the State Police record system, and the courts of Wayne County that few attorneys in this state can match.
That work informs everything on this page. Most criminal cases here are decided long before trial — at arraignment, in a pretrial conference, in a conversation with a prosecutor about what the file really shows. What happens in those rooms determines what your record looks like for the next twenty years, which is usually the part that ends up mattering most.
Matters the firm handles
- Misdemeanors. Assault and battery, domestic violence, retail fraud, larceny, malicious destruction of property, disorderly conduct, trespass, and resisting or obstructing.
- Felonies. Representation from arraignment through preliminary examination in district court and into circuit court, including bond arguments and preliminary exam strategy.
- Operating while intoxicated. First and repeat offenses, high-BAC charges, breath and blood testing issues, implied consent hearings, and the license consequences that run separately from the criminal case.
- Drug offenses. Possession and delivery charges, including deferral options that can keep a conviction off the record entirely.
- Traffic and civil infractions. Speeding, suspended license, no insurance, careless and reckless driving, and commercial vehicle citations. Most of these are about points and insurance rates, not fines.
- License matters. Suspensions, restorations, restricted licenses, and Secretary of State hearings.
- Warrants. Walking a bench warrant in and getting it resolved on terms, rather than waiting to be picked up on a traffic stop.
- Personal protection orders. Petitions, responses, and motions to terminate or modify.
- Expungement and set-aside. Clearing eligible convictions under Michigan's Clean Slate legislation.
Keeping a conviction off the record
Michigan offers several deferral mechanisms that let a qualifying defendant complete probation and end up without a public conviction — including youthful trainee status for defendants who were under a set age at the time of the offense, deferrals available in certain drug cases, and a first-offense deferral in some domestic violence matters. Eligibility is narrow, the request usually has to be made at the right procedural moment, and it is generally a one-time opportunity. It is one of the first things worth asking about, and one of the most commonly missed.
The collateral consequences are often worse than the sentence. A misdemeanor that carries no jail time can still cost a professional license, a CDL, an apartment application, immigration status, or a job offer. Tell the firm what you cannot afford to lose. That, more than the charge itself, determines what a good outcome looks like.
Expungement and Clean Slate
This is the deepest area of criminal experience in the firm. Michigan Clean Slate reforms substantially expanded who can clear a record. Some convictions now come off automatically after a waiting period, without anyone filing anything. Others still require a petition, and the waiting periods, the number of offenses that can be set aside, and the categories excluded from relief all vary. Certain traffic offenses and a first drunk driving conviction became petition-eligible under later amendments.
The practical point: many people are eligible and do not know it, and many people who assume they are eligible are not. A records review answers it in one step. If you were told years ago that nothing could be done, that answer may simply be out of date.
Where these cases are heard
The firm regularly appears in the district courts across Wayne County, including the 19th District Court in Dearborn, the 20th in Dearborn Heights, the 36th in Detroit, the 18th in Westland, and the 22nd in Inkster, and in Wayne County Circuit Court on felony matters.
Fees
Fee arrangements depend on the matter. The firm will explain how your matter would be billed, and what it is likely to cost, before any work begins — not after.
Payment arrangements are available.
Common questions
Should I talk to the police before I have a lawyer?
You are not required to answer questions, and in most situations there is no advantage to doing so before you have spoken with counsel. Say clearly that you want a lawyer, and then stop. That request is not evidence of guilt and it cannot be used against you.
Is a traffic ticket worth hiring a lawyer for?
Often, yes — not for the fine, but for the points. Points drive insurance rates for years and can put a license at risk when they accumulate. Many citations can be negotiated to a non-point or reduced-point offense, and for commercial drivers the stakes are higher still.
Can I get my record expunged in Michigan?
Possibly, and more people qualify than realize it. Michigan Clean Slate legislation expanded eligibility considerably: some convictions now clear automatically after a waiting period, while others require a petition, with limits that depend on the offense and how many convictions you have. Hassan Zaarour has worked on more than a thousand of these through the City of Detroit Project Clean Slate program. A records review is the fastest way to get a real answer.
What happens at arraignment?
You are told the charge and the possible penalties, a plea is entered — almost always not guilty at that stage — and bond conditions are set. It moves quickly, and bond conditions imposed there can affect where you live and who you can contact, so it is worth having counsel present.
There is a warrant out for me. What should I do?
Call before it turns into an arrest at a traffic stop or at work. A warrant can often be addressed on scheduled terms, which is a materially better position than being taken into custody unexpectedly.
Speak with the firm about this
Describe the situation and any deadline. The firm responds to time-sensitive matters the same business day.