Oakland County is part of the Detroit metropolitan area, home of 62 cities, villages and townships. These communities range from blue-collar, inner-ring suburbs like Ferndale and Hazel Park, to wealthy cities such as Birmingham, Bloomfield Hills, West Bloomfield Township, and Franklin. The white-collar cities of Troy, Southfield, Farmington Hills, and Auburn Hills host a diverse mix of Fortune 500 companies. The county's knowledge-based economic initiative, coined Automation Alley, is one of the largest employment centers for engineering and related occupation in the United States. All 3 automotive companies: GM, Ford, and Chrysler are major employers within southeast Michigan and have a significant presence within Oakland County.

Oakland County Legal Profile

The attorneys at Nacht Law are dedicated to protecting the rights and interests of individuals and businesses in Oakland County and across the state of Michigan. Nacht Law is a team of experienced litigators, providing advice and representation in all matters employment, civil rights, and business litigation. In employment matters: our lawyers regularly stand up for the rights of Oakland County whistleblowers, victims of retaliation, discrimination, harassment, or those seeking to manage accommodation and medical leave issues, or unemployment compensation. Nacht Law lawyers counsel Oakland County businesses and non-profits seeking sound legal advice on personnel policies, human resources, non-compete issues, and business litigation. Our lawyers serve Oakland County doctors and medical groups seeking to retain new people, set policies, third-party Medicare audits, and compliance programs. And we provide skilled criminal defense for Oakland County professionals and others fighting for their civil right to be presumed innocent.

Oakland County Government

The Prosecuting Attorney of Oakland County is Jessica R. Cooper. The Prosecuting Attorney appears for the State or County in all criminal prosecutions in Circuit Court and District Court, as well as appearances in delinquency, neglect, mental incompetency, and adult guardianship proceedings in both Probate Court and the Family Division of the Circuit Court. The Prosecuting Attorney shares jurisdiction with the Michigan Attorney General for any crime that is committed in Oakland County, but is independent of that State office.

The Sheriff of Oakland County is Mike Bouchard. The Oakland County Sheriff's Department provides law enforcement and corrections programs and services to the community. The County Sheriff is mandated to carry out a number of administrative and operational functions, including patrolling and monitoring traffic, providing emergency planning services, and providing court security when requested. Those functions are carried out by three divisions of the Sheriff's Department: Law Enforcement, Communications Technology, and Investigative.

Courts in Oakland County

Oakland County Circuit Court

Oakland County 6^th Circuit Court is the trial court of general jurisdiction in Oakland Michigan. It has jurisdiction over all actions except those given by state law to another court. The Circuit Court has original jurisdiction in all civil cases involving more than $25,000, in all criminal cases where the offense is a felony or a serious misdemeanor, all domestic relations cases, and all child abuse, neglect, and delinquency cases. It rule on all civil cases including employment discrimination, sex harassment cases business ownership disputes, disability discrimination, unpaid wage claims, enforcement of non-competition agreements, wrongful discharge claims, zoning disputes and criminal matters, from drug crimes like possession and manufacturing to bank robbery, armed robbery, murder, arson, criminal sexual conduct, third offence drunk driving.

6^th Circuit Court judges are: Nanci J. Grant; Shalina Kumar; Michael Warren; Elizabeth Pezzetti; Rae Lee Chabot. Chief Probate Judge: Eugene Arthur Moore; Chief Probate Pro Tempore Linda S. Hallmark.

Oakland County District Courts

District Courts: A district court has exclusive jurisdiction of all civil litigation where the amount in dispute is less than $25,000; and handles many local land use disputes, debt collection actions, eviction proceedings. The district courts generally handle all misdemeanor charges where punishments do not exceed one year, including arraignment, setting and acceptance of bail, trial and sentencing; and conduct preliminary examinations in felony cases.

Oakland District Courts are: 52-1 District Court; 52-2 District Court; 52-3 District Court; 52-4 District Court; 35^th District Court; 48^th District Court.

Employment in Oakland County

Oakland County communities range from blue-collar, inner-ring suburbs like Ferndale and Hazel Park, to wealthy cities such as Birmingham, Bloomfield Hills, West Bloomfield Township, and Franklin. The white-collar cities of Troy, Southfield, Farmington Hills, and Auburn Hills host a diverse mix of Fortune 500 companies. The cities of Royal Oak, home of the Detroit Zoological Park, and Ferndale attract many young people to their mature, bohemian downtowns, which have many restaurants, shops and night clubs. Oakland County is also home to Oakland University, a large public institution that straddles the Auburn Hills and Rochester border.

Metro Detroit's suburbs are among the most affluent in the nation. Oakland County is the 4th wealthiest county in the United States among counties with more than one million people. The county's knowledge-based economic initiative, coined "Automation Alley", is one of the largest employment centers for engineering and related occupations in the United States. Oakland County has shared in the recent economic hardships brought on by troubles at General Motors, Ford, and Chrysler, although it has fared better than Detroit and Flint, as its economy is more diverse and less reliant on manufacturing jobs. All three automotive companies are major employers within southeast Michigan and have a significant presence within Oakland County.