Barton Morris

Barton Morris is the principal and founding attorney of the Law Offices of Barton Morris and the Cannabis Legal Group. For over 20 years, he has provided legal counsel and services in areas of criminal defense, real estate and business law. His is dedicated to ensuring clients receive the highest quality of service while delivering results. Barton also continues to volunteer his time serving on various legal and industry association boards and committees, teaching, and being a legal expert in his areas of practice.

Barton has extensive federal criminal defense experience practicing in the Eastern and Western Federal Districts of Michigan. He has successfully litigated federal criminal cases in the areas of healthcare and Medicare fraud, mortgage fraud, as well as drug trafficking prosecutions involving cocaine, marijuana, prescription pills, and ecstasy. He has also tried cases involving murder of a federal witness, production, possession and distribution of child pornography, and money laundering. Barton has the experience, skill and passion to handle any complex criminal prosecution in the Eastern and Western Districts.

As a faculty member of the DUI Defense Lawyer’s Association and as the President of the Michigan Association of OWI Lawyers, Morris has traveled across the country lecturing and presenting at various legal events and seminars. Further, Barton Morris has received specialized training in the forensic analysis of solid dose controlled substances and biological specimens, which allows him to successfully argue scientific defenses including questionable forensic laboratory practices. He is 1 of only 60 attorneys in the nation to have earned the distinction by the American Chemical Society as a Forensic Lawyer-Scientist and remains the only one in Michigan. He is also the only criminal defense lawyer to present to the Forensic Science Division of the Michigan State Police at their annual conference and was also the only chosen criminal defense attorney to present to the Michigan State Police’s Impaired Driving Commission regarding driving under the influence of marijuana.

Barton has played an instrumental role in the legalization of adult use marijuana in Michigan with the successful Campaign to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol in November of 2018 (along with the previous 2016 campaign efforts). Currently, Barton serves as the chair-elect of the Cannabis Law Section of the State Bar of Michigan and will be Chair in 2023-2024. He founded the Cannabis Legal Group which has been delivering expert legal services to the commercial medical and AU industry since 2015.

Professional recognitions include 10/10 rating by AVVO, Outstanding Attorney by Super Lawyer Magazine since 2015, Top Attorney in Metro Detroit in DBusiness Magazine annually, and Hour Detroit

“Face of Cannabis Law” in 2016. He regularly appears as a guest legal commentator on WJBK Fox 2 Detroit, Fox 2 Let it Rip, WXYZ Channel 7, NPR, and WWJ News Radio 950.  Sought after as a thought leader and legal expert, Barton appears often in the Detroit Free Press, Metro Times and MLive. But despite all of these accomplishments, he believes his most important one is the results he and the firm has and continue to obtain for his clients.

Accomplishments

• Michigan Association of OWI Attorneys, President, 2019-present
• Michigan Association of OWI Attorneys, Faculty and Board Member 2014-present
• Marijuana Legal Workgroup, Selected Member on behalf of AG Dana Nessel, 2019-present
• Graduate of the Criminal Defense Attorneys of Michigan, Criminal Defense College, August 2010
• Featured on Let It Rip, WJBK – My Fox Detroit, August 2011 and February 2018
• Rated 10/10 by AVVO
• Selected Super Lawyer 2014-2019
• Selected a Top Lawyer of 2012-2014, and 2019-2020 by DBusiness Magazine
• Media Appearances on 89X, 101 WRIF, 97.1 The Ticket, Fox 2 Let it Rip, and WXYZ Channel 7
• Graduate NCDD Summer Session, Harvard Law School, July 2013
• Trial Lawyer’s College Alumni F Warrior Board Member, Region 7 2013-2016
• Graduate Trial Lawyers College, Dubois, Wyoming, September 2011
• Graduate Michigan State University College of Law, May 1998
• Clerk for the Honorable David F. Breck, Oakland County Circuit Court Judge 1995-1998
• Graduate of the National Criminal Defense College, Macon, Georgia, June 1999
• Graduate Western Michigan University, Haworth College of Business, Bachelor in Business Administration, May 1994