I have to pinch myself : Judge gives new lawyer 2nd chance
June 5, 2021
FacebookTwitterEmail
DETROIT (AP) A Detroit-area man who shed a life of crime and became a lawyer is grateful to a judge who ordered probation over prison.
“It seems surreal still,” Ed Martell told WDIV-TV. “It’s only been a few days and when clients call and say, ‘Can I talk to attorney Ed Martell?’ I have to pinch myself.”
In May, Martell was sworn in as a member of the State Bar of Michigan by Wayne County Judge Bruce Morrow.
Martell was 27 years old in 2005, a high school dropout with a criminal record. He appeared in Morrow s court facing possible prison time for delivery and manufacture of cocaine.
A former drug dealer is now an attorney after he was sworn in before the same judge who encouraged him to do more with his life.
When Ed Martell, from Inkster, Michigan, was 27, he stood in front of Wayne County Circuit Court Judge Bruce Morrow as a drug dealer about to be jailed for multiple years. Now, sixteen years later, Martell has completely transformed his life, as he was sworn in before the very same judge as an attorney.
Credits: FOX 13
Back in the early 2000s, Ed was a high school dropout trying to make ends meet by selling drugs. Following several run-ins with the law, he was expected to be put behind bars for up to 20 years. However, Morrow decided to give him the benefit of the doubt and gave him a different sentence. As UNILADÂ reveals, in addition to the three years probation, the judge challenged Martell to change his life.
For Ed Martell the moment he was sworn in as an attorney earlier this month didn't just represent the start of a new career. It marked years of tireless determination - and a journey that started in the very same courtroom.
Ex-Drug Dealer Sworn In By Judge Who Gave Him Second Chance - Detroit, MI - Once selling drugs in a Detroit suburb, Ed Martell has used a Wayne County judge's words as the inspiration he needed to become a lawyer.
Former drug dealer now sworn in as attorney before same judge who challenged him to change his life fox7austin.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from fox7austin.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.