A Felon With a Dream: How a Former Drug Dealer Became a Detroit Lawyer

Detroit — Edward Martell was 27 years old and going nowhere fast. He was looking at two decades behind bars when he came face to face with a county judge.

Martell had been caught up in a drug sting. He was charged in February 2005 with manufacturing and selling crack cocaine and faced an additional charge five months later after violating his bail.