Getting arrested on suspicion of OWI or OWVI in Ann Arbor or elsewhere in Washtenaw County is a serious situation. Whether it happened on I-94 near the Carpenter Road exit, on a surface street in Ann Arbor, or somewhere along US-23, the next morning brings a lot of questions. One of the biggest ones is usually some version of: can I actually afford to fight this? That is a fair question, and this post will give you a straight answer about what defense typically costs and what else you should budget for.
Michigan uses the terms OWI (Operating While Intoxicated) and OWVI (Operating While Visibly Impaired) rather than DUI, though people use those terms interchangeably. They are not the same charge, and the differences matter when building a defense. If you want a fuller picture of what these charges involve and what Michigan law actually says, a good starting point is reading about drunk driving defense in Michigan before your first attorney meeting. Understanding the charge you are facing helps you have a more productive conversation with any lawyer you consult.
What Does the Typical Defense Attorney Charge for an OWI?
Attorney fees in Michigan drunk driving cases vary quite a bit. In our experience, the range for a first-offense case handled by an attorney with real experience in Washtenaw County courts tends to fall somewhere between $3,000 and $10,000 or more at the pretrial stage. Cases that go to trial carry additional fees on top of that. More complex situations, such as high BAC readings, a breath test refusal, an accident involved, or a second or third offense, can push fees considerably higher.
Why the wide range? A few things drive it. The severity of the charge matters a great deal. A first-offense standard OWI is a very different legal undertaking than a second offense, which in Michigan carries mandatory minimum jail exposure and a one-year license revocation. A felony third offense is another level entirely, with potential prison time and fines reaching into the thousands. The more serious the charge, the more work a thorough defense requires, and that is reflected in what attorneys charge.
Attorney experience also plays a real role. An attorney who regularly handles cases in the 15th District Court in Ann Arbor or the 14A District Court in Pittsfield Township, and who knows how Washtenaw County proceedings tend to move, brings something to the table that a general practitioner handling the occasional OWI simply does not. That familiarity has value.
Wondering if you’ll pay up front? Most OWI defense attorneys in Michigan work on a flat fee basis rather than billing by the hour. That structure generally covers things like reviewing the evidence, court appearances, and pretrial negotiations. If a case proceeds to trial, a separate trial fee typically applies. Ask any attorney you consult exactly what their quoted fee covers and what would trigger additional charges. Get that in writing.
Other Costs Beyond Attorney Fees
Attorney fees are often the biggest line item, but they are not the only one. People sometimes focus so much on the lawyer’s fee that they underestimate the full financial picture of an OWI case. Here is what can add up:
Michigan law imposes fines for OWI convictions. For a first offense, those fines can range from $100 to $500, though court costs often push the total obligation well past $1,000. A second offense raises the fine range to $200 to $1,000, and a felony third offense can mean fines of $500 to $5,000. Beyond fines, there are costs for substance abuse evaluation and any required treatment programs, probation supervision fees, and in some cases, tether monitoring fees.
If your case involves a high BAC reading of 0.17 or above, Michigan law may require installation of an ignition interlock device on your vehicle. Installation generally runs in the range of $100 to $200, with ongoing monthly rental and calibration costs on top of that. That can add up to over $1,000 annually depending on how long the requirement lasts.
License reinstatement fees, costs for alcohol education classes, and the expense of getting your vehicle out of impound right after the arrest all contribute to the total. When you add it all up, the financial consequences of a conviction often dwarf the cost of a qualified defense attorney. That is not a sales pitch. That is just the math.
Is Hiring a Lawyer Worth the Cost?
This is the question underneath all the others. And the honest answer is that it depends on the facts of your case, but in our experience, most people facing an OWI or OWVI charge in Washtenaw County are better served by qualified legal representation than by handling it alone or accepting the first outcome offered.
Michigan OWI law has a lot of moving parts. There are procedural requirements around traffic stops, breath and blood testing, and evidence handling that a trained defense attorney knows how to scrutinize. More precisely, even in cases where the evidence looks strong on the surface, there are often angles worth examining that a person without legal training would not know to look for.
Outcomes in these cases are not guaranteed. No attorney can promise you a specific result, and you should think twice about hiring one who guarantees they will get your charge dropped. What a good attorney can do is make sure the evidence against you is actually as solid as the prosecution claims, and that you understand every option available to you before making a decision.
If you were recently arrested in Ann Arbor, Ypsilanti, Saline, Chelsea, or anywhere else in Washtenaw County, we encourage you to reach out to us early. Early consultation tends to preserve more options. At Geherin Law Group, we handle OWI and OWVI defense throughout the area and we are glad to talk through your situation and give you a realistic picture of where things stand.