If you’ve just been arrested for DUI (also called OWI – Operating While Intoxicated) in Michigan, you might be wondering:
“Do I need an attorney now—or should I wait until I get a court date, blood test results, or an official letter in the mail?”
Here’s the truth: Waiting can cost you.
If you’ve been charged with DUI (also called OWI in Michigan), and the evidence looks stacked against you—maybe your blood alcohol level was .17 or higher, or there was an accident involved—you might be thinking:
“What’s the point of hiring a lawyer? The case is already lost.”
This mindset is not only wrong—it’s potentially life-altering.
If you’ve been charged with DUI (also known as OWI in Michigan), you might be thinking:
“It’s my first offense—I probably don’t need a lawyer unless things get really serious, right?”
This is one of the most dangerous assumptions people make after a DUI arrest.
There’s a growing belief in Silicon Valley that artificial intelligence isn’t just about replacing some jobs—it’s about replacing all of them. One tech investor recently told a room of startup founders, “You can replace the world’s workers – all of them. You can capture their salaries. All of them.”¹
This kind of incendiary absolutism fuels anxiety in nearly every profession, but few as acutely as law. As generative AI systems grow more capable, lawyers are rightly asking: Will AI replace us? And if not entirely, then when, and how? This article examines the state of AI in law as of mid-2025, surveying its effects on legal workflows, its limitations, and its plausible trajectory.
The short answer is that AI will not replace lawyers wholesale—but it will displace many of the tasks they currently perform. The legal field is facing not extinction but evolution.
AI is transforming the legal profession, forcing law firms to determine if – and how- to adapt to new tools that promise efficiency, cost reduction, and increased accessibility to legal services. But with these advancements come serious challenges, particularly the problem of AI-generated “hallucinations”—fabricated information presented with complete confidence.
A recent Fortune article, “How AI Will Change Law Firms,” outlines the shifting landscape, noting that AI will alter the structure and operation of law firms. And yet, the cautious approach to AI that persists at the top of some law firms shows that managing partners who still worry about moving too early are overlooking the significant adoption that’s already well underway. An international study of professionals conducted last year found that AI is the top strategic priority for law firms, and a sizable 22% of respondents classified their firm as an AI innovator or early adopter.
The next wave of generative AI adoption in the legal industry will come from those firms that realize they need to be “fast followers.” Managing partners report that there are many perceived advantages to being a fast follower rather than a leader. That’s because there are real costs associated with technology and training, and some firms want to wait for others to sort out the thornier issues of how to handle client privilege and data privacy in the era of AI.
The disconnect defense is a legal strategy in a Michigan DUI case that highlights the inconsistency—or disconnect—between a defendant’s high blood alcohol concentration (BAC) results and their observable behavior at the time of arrest. For instance, if a breath or blood test shows a BAC of 0.20%—a level typically associated with symptoms like emotional instability, impaired motor coordination, and slurred speech as detailed in Dubowski – stages of alcohol effects—yet the individual demonstrates steady balance, clear speech, and passes field sobriety tests, this discrepancy can be used to challenge the validity of the BAC evidence.
Dubowski’s research provides a clear framework for evaluating expected behaviors at different BAC levels:
If you’ve been charged with a crime in Michigan, you are probably wondering what will happen to you when you go to court. Understanding the the rules of criminal procedure in Michigan will help lower your anxiety and this guide is designed to give you a basic reference about what to expect after your case gets started in court.
Also covered in this comprehensive guide to criminal procedure are the steps that the case will go through before it ever gets to court. Understanding how cases begin is essential for anyone facing criminal allegations. The following information is for Michigan state cases. For federal case procedure please see our companion article – What Are the Steps in a Federal Criminal Case?
Has Your Michigan Driver License Been Revoked? This article will explain the process for getting it back.
Key Points:
When you’re arrested for a DUI in Michigan, the arresting officer will take your driver’s license and destroy it. This plastic license will be replaced with a temporary permit or a paper license, depending on the circumstances of your arrest. This paper license differs from your regular driver’s license as it lacks your photo but still permits unlimited driving.
The police and your attorney will refer to this paper license as a “DI-177.” The title of it is Breath Blood or Urine Report. This is a Michigan Temporary Driving Permit acts as your temporary driver’s license until you’re either convicted of the OWI or your case gets dismissed.
This paper license is only issued if you consented to a test allowing law enforcement to measure your blood alcohol concentration (BAC) during your arrest. This does not include the roadside test, only the test back at the station.
Michigan Criminal Defense Lawyer Blog
