Fighting for the community and students of West Georgia.

Michael J. Miller

Michael J. Miller grew up in Douglas County, Georgia, where he graduated from Alexander High School in 1990. Upon graduating from Alexander, Mike attended the University of West Georgia, where he was active on campus; serving as a Student Government Senator, SGA Judicial Co-Chairman, Interfraternity Council President, and President of the Order of Omega.  During his tenure at the University of West Georgia, Mike also gained extensive legislative experience while interning with several committees for the Georgia House of Representatives as well as serving as an aide to former State Senator Perry McGuire. Without question, Mr. Miller is well acquainted with the people, and politics of the West Georgia Area.

In addition to his familiarity to the West Georgia Area, Mike has extensive knowledge of both the procedural and substantive areas of criminal law. Mike received his Doctor of Jurisprudence degree from Cumberland School of Law at Samford University in Birmingham, Alabama.  While in law school, Mike concentrated on criminal law courses, and was very active in Cumberland's nationally renowned Trial Advocacy Program. In addition to his course work, Mike also gained extensive knowledge of misdemeanor crimes and ordinance violations during his research and assistance in writing a comprehensive treatise on Municipal Court and DUI Law for Judge T. Brad Bishop. As a law student, Mike’s legal career began in the office of the Douglas County District Attorney, David McDade, one of the most demanding and feared prosecutors in the State of Georgia. Mike’s opportunity to work as a prosecutor gave him experience investigating and reviewing files for purposes of accusation and indictment. This experience also allowed him to become familiar with the grand jury process, and other pre-indictment procedure. In addition, Mike also gained invaluable trial and courtroom experience in the Douglas County Superior Courts. Finally, Mike was involved in the appellate process in writing briefs for argument in the Georgia Court of Appeals. Mr. Miller’s experience in Mr. McDade’s office gave Mike many valuable tools with which he began private practice in Douglas County in November of 2000.

After prosecuting in the Douglas County District Attorney’s office, Mike began to work with the firm of W. O'Neal Dettmering, P.C. as a litigation associate. In contemplation of Mr. Dettmering's appointment to the Douglas County State Court Bench, Mike began his own firm dedicated to defending individuals charged with criminal violations.  Since the inception of his law firm in June 2001, Mike has represented clients at all stages of criminal prosecution. He has defended more than a thousand criminal cases including felonies, misdemeanors, and local ordinance violations. Although Mike has defended a wide range of criminal charges from animal ordinance violations to aggravated assault and battery, he enjoys defending DUI accusations most and has built the foundation of Miller & Hightower on providing exceptional results for his clients in alcohol related cases.

Due to the tenacity of the Douglas County Sheriff Department’s DUI taskforce, and the Carrollton Police Department’s attention to underage drinking, Mike has become very knowledgeable of the issues surrounding Driving Under the Influence and other alcohol violations from both a criminal and administrative perspective. In fact, former Speaker of the Georgia House of Representatives, Tom Murphy, looked to Mike's experience and expertise with DUI laws and teenage driver issues when he appointed Mike to the Blue Ribbon Young Drivers and DUI Study Commission for the State of Georgia.  Mike has utilized his experience and expertise to benefit his DUI and MUI clients and has gotten hundreds of DUIs and MUIs reduced or dismissed over the past eight years in the West Georgia Area.

Even though Mike has extensive knowledge and experience with the technical, substantive, and procedural law regarding criminal cases, he also recognizes the intangible value of knowing the communities where he practices law. Consequently, Mike stays involved in the West Georgia Area and volunteers for many civic and community organizations. As such, he is a member of the State University of West Georgia National Alumni Association and several other local organizations in Douglas County and surrounding areas. Most notably, the Douglas County voters recently elected Mike to the Douglas County Board of Education where he stays in constant contact with the citizens of Douglas County.

By staying informed of the law and involved in the community, Mike takes a comprehensive approach to defending individuals charged with criminal violations. He understands that bad things happens to good people and he not only works hard to defend prosecutions, but he also looks for ways to help his clients overcome the obstacles, which led to the charges they are facing, and he diligently attempts to mitigate the ramifications of his client’s actions.