In 2005, Edward Martell was in Wayne County Circuit Judge Bruce Morrow's courtroom, waiting to hear his fate — he was 27 and facing up to 20 years in prison for drug dealing.
"Any other judge would have flushed me," Martell told Deadline Detroit, but Morrow said "everybody needs love" and instead gave Martell three years probation and implored him to become "a CEO of a Fortune 500 company instead of being out here selling drugs." Tired of how he was living, Martell took this as a challenge, and soon got his GED and enrolled in community college, wanting to become a lawyer.
Martell received full-ride scholarships at the University of Detroit Mercy, where he attended undergrad and law school. While his criminal record did not immediately disqualify him from being admitted to the Michigan Bar, Martell told Deadline Detroit he was concerned he was "chasing a dream with no guarantee." During his character and fitness review, he explained his past and had his colleagues at Perkins Law Group, where he conducted legal research, testify on his behalf.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
When he was approved, Martell told Deadline Detroit, he "sobbed like a baby." Earlier this month, he was sworn in as a member of the Michigan Bar, with Morrow administering the oath. Martell, now 43, will specialize in criminal law, and he said he hopes his story will "provide some of these young men and women with some motivation. You plant a seed, and hope it will grow." Morrow recalled that he told Martell, "'Let's see how far you can go.' And man, he hasn't finished yet."
-
Florida erases rainbow crosswalk at Pulse nightclubSpeed Read The colorful crosswalk was outside the former LGBTQ nightclub where 49 people were killed in a 2016 shooting
-
Trump says Smithsonian too focused on slavery's illsSpeed Read The president would prefer the museum to highlight 'success,' 'brightness' and 'the future'
-
Trump to host Kennedy Honors for Kiss, StalloneSpeed Read Actor Sylvester Stallone and the glam-rock band Kiss were among those named as this year's inductees
-
White House seeks to bend Smithsonian to Trump's viewSpeed Read The Smithsonian Institution's 21 museums are under review to ensure their content aligns with the president's interpretation of American history
-
Charlamagne Tha God irks Trump with Epstein talkSpeed Read The radio host said the Jeffrey Epstein scandal could help 'traditional conservatives' take back the Republican Party
-
CBS cancels Colbert's 'Late Show'Speed Read 'The Late Show with Stephen Colbert' is ending next year
-
Shakespeare not an absent spouse, study proposesspeed read A letter fragment suggests that the Shakespeares lived together all along, says scholar Matthew Steggle
-
New Mexico to investigate death of Gene Hackman, wifespeed read The Oscar-winning actor and his wife Betsy Arakawa were found dead in their home with no signs of foul play
