Trial Lawyers College
On October 1, 2011, Shannon Smith officially graduated from the Trial Lawyers College. Shannon was one of 55 lawyers chosen to spend 24 days in Dubois, Wyoming, on Gerry Spence’s ranch training with some of the best lawyers in the country. Not every lawyer is accepted to the program. Applicants must write essays and have significant […]
Potential Change to Sex Laws for Michigan Teachers
Shannon Smith and Gail Benson have defended multiple Michigan teachers accused of sex crimes for having sex with students. The current state of the law prohibits teachers from having sex with students who are less than 18 years of age. Since the age of consent in Michigan is 16, many people do not realize that […]
Innocent Until Proven Guilty
In every criminal trial, the defendant is considered “innocent until proven guilty.” We are lawyers who represent clients accused of Michigan sex crimes. At the Law Offices of Shannon Smith, we don’t believe that “innocent until proven guilty” is a fair way to think about the presumption of innocence. We believe the correct way to say […]
A False Sense of Security Created by the Michigan Sex Offender Registry
As a Michigan sex crimes attorney, I find myself having to hold back when people around me discuss the Michigan sex offender registry. A friend of mine was showing me an app for her phone the other day – one that quickly allows her to identify all of the sex offenders nearby. She assured me […]
Shannon Smith — Chosen as Top 40 Under 40 by National Trial Lawyers Association
hannon Smith was recently chosen by the National Trial Lawyers Association to be a member of the “Top 40 Under 40.” The National Trial Lawyers Association is a professional organization that recognizes the top trial lawyers throughout the country. Membership into The Top 40 under 40 is by invitation only and is extended exclusively to […]
Michigan Statute of Limitations for Sex Crimes
Shannon M. Smith is a sex lawyer who defends clients accused of criminal sexual conduct and other Michigan sex crimes. Most cases handled by Shannon Smith involve children and many of them are not brought forward until years after the alleged event. It is important to know how long the state has to bring charges for sex […]
Reform Needed to the Michigan Sex Offender Registry
The Michigan Sex Offender Registry is in need of major reform. Low risk, non-dangerous registrants should be removed from the registry. The registrants I’m describing include mostly juvenile and teenage offenders who engaged in consensual sex. Michigan has the second highest number of registrants on its sex offender registry based on population in the United […]
Advice to Teachers
After representing several teachers accused of having sexual relationships with their students, I have discovered some important similarities among my cases. These factors have all been involved, whether the teacher was innocent or actually did have a sexual relationship. The following advice is what I tell all of my friends who are teachers. They are lessons learned […]
The Age of Consent
As a lawyer who defends people accused of sex crimes, I am frequently asked, “What is the age of consent in Michigan?” The age of consent is 16. In order to consent to sexual activity a person must be 16. There are other circumstances that can make sexual activity between certain individuals illegal. For example, it is illegal […]
Penalties for the Various Degrees of Criminal Sexual Conduct
Frequently Asked Question Q. What are the different penalties between first degree criminal sexual conduct, second degree criminal sexual conduct, third degree criminal sexual conduct and fourth degree criminal sexual conduct? A. First degree criminal sexual conduct: Up to life in prison, many times a 25 mandatory minimum sentence to prison. Electronic lifetime monitoring is also […]