The attorneys representing young people in Detroit’s courts say their pay hasn’t kept pace with their purpose.

They haven’t received a raise in more than three decades.

Wayne County juvenile attorneys handle neglect and delinquency cases. They represent kids and families in crisis, but unlike public defenders, they are independent contractors who receive a set fee per hearing and no benefits.

Juvenile attorney Marc Shreeman says the pay is about $500 for a preliminary hearing and pretrial appearance, roughly half of what similar attorneys earn in nearby Oakland County. 

Shreeman says low pay, coupled with rising caseloads, is having an impact. In 2019, roughly 120 attorneys were taking juvenile cases in Wayne County; now, there are fewer than 60. 

The dwindling number of juvenile attorneys and stagnant pay come as Detroit faces a rise in youth violence compared with last year, and a higher number of teens being caught with firearms. City officials have responded by strengthening curfew enforcement and raising fines for parents of minors found out after hours. 

WDET contacted multiple county officials for comment.

The Wayne County Executive’s Office did not respond.

A representative for the Wayne County Court Administration, which distributes pay to juvenile attorneys, said in an earlier statement that the department is “working closely with Wayne County to address potential funding options” and that staff have met with the Ways and Means Committee to discuss the issue.

WDET also contacted Commissioner Jonathan Kinloch, who chairs that committee, but did not receive a response.

Juvenile attorney Shreeman joined Robyn Vincent on The Metro to discuss the work of public defenders in a time when young people are facing more danger.

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When the Great Recession hit, homeownership in Detroit took a dive. Between 2011 and 2015, about 10,000 residents lost their homes due to illegal tax foreclosures following the city’s bankruptcy. 

Many foreclosed homes have ended up on the Wayne County auction list over the last decade. The good news is that the overall number of those homes has been shrinking, but it remains to be seen if this signals a trend. 

In this conversation, Metro producer Sam Corey spoke with Alex Alsup. He’s the author of the substack, “The Chargeback.” The two discussed what accounts for the increase in homes up for auction this year, and what can be done to stop or slow foreclosures.

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In an effort to reduce the high case load, Wayne County has recommended that City of Detroit attorneys prosecute misdemeanor offenses. Earlier this month, Detroit city council voted 8-1 to do just that beginning in July of next year. 

What kinds of cases will the city oversee? What kind of burden might this place on Detroit?

Conrad Mallett, Jr. is the corporation counsel for the City of Detroit. He spoke with Robyn Vincent.

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The Detroit Water and Sewerage Department says it has surpassed its goal for enrolling residents in its new Easy Pay program.  The department had projected 30,000 enrollees but instead drew more than 34,000 participants. 

The program is designed to help residents who have fallen behind in their water bill payments.   Detroiters can pay $10 to get into the program the first month and then in subsequent months pay their normal water bill and an extra $34.17 to eliminate any overdue balances.  Participation in the program is geared to keep residents from dealing with water service shutoffs. 

Detroiters can sign-up by calling 313-267-8000 or use the DWSD Customer Self-Service Portal. 

Additional headlines from Wednesday, Aug. 27, 2025

County leaders ask state government to fix roads

The leaders of Wayne, Oakland and Macomb counties are asking for the state government to get its act together when it comes to fixing Michigan’s roads. 

Wayne County Executive Warren Evans, Oakland County Executive Dave Coulter and Macomb County Executive Mark Hackel wrote a joint editorial to the Detroit Free Press saying the state needs to do more to improve roads. 

Legislators have not reached a deal for long-term road funding. The trio of executives calls for bi-partisan efforts to find money for roads before the current funding runs out. 

Evans, Coulter and Hackel say the economic health of the region depends on the area’s strong infrastructure. 

Dearborn Education Foundation adds member to board

The Dearborn Education Foundation has a new member.  The non-profit organization announced the addition of Mary Hammoud to the board in a news release.

Hammoud attended Dearborn public schools and Wayne State University.  She currently works as a pharmacy manager. 

The Dearborn Education Foundation’s mission is to fund programs and projects that benefit public school students in the city. 

Tomorrow marks anniversary of the March on Washington

Thursday, August 28 is the anniversary of the March on Washington. 

On August 28th, 1963, nearly 250,000 people from around the country marched to the Mall in Washington D.C. to hear remarks from civil rights activists.  The climax of the event was Doctor Martin Luther King, Junior’s “I Have A Dream” speech. 

Detroit was well-represented at the March – with hundreds of area residents attending the event.  Among them was the Reverend Nicholas Hood, Senior – then pastor of Plymouth United Congregational Church.  Back in 2013, he shared his memories of the day with me. 

“We endured all of the speeches leading up to Doctor King…and ‘what could he say?’  Well, I’m telling you, he just mesmerized the audience.  He electrified the audience,” said Hood.  “And when he got to the ‘I have a dream’ portion, there was a rhythm to it.  And when he got into the rhythm, people all throughout the mall got into the rhythm with him. ‘I have a dream.  I have a dream.’  And he was saying something.”

Reverend Hood worked with Doctor King and other civil rights leaders in the 1950’s when he lived in New Orleans.  Hood died in 2016. 

If there is something happening in your neighborhood that you think we should know about, drop us a line at DetroitEveningReport@wdet.org. You know how much we love hearing about Detroit.

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