Category Archives: Criminal Defense
Defending Yourself Against a Hate Crime Charge in New York
A hate crime is one that is motivated by a victim’s perceived race, color, national origin, ancestry, gender, religious practice, age, disability or sexual orientation. When an offense is classified as a hate crime, the law provides for greater levels of punishment, known as penalty enhancements. New York hate crimes can be misdemeanors or felonies, […]
New Discovery Rules Increase Defendants’ Access to Prosecutors’ Files
As of 2020, New York has adopted major changes to its discovery rules in criminal cases, making more information available to defendants quickly and easily. Until the reforms, New York’s criminal discovery law — sometimes called the “blindfold law” — was among the most restrictive in the nation. Discovery is the process by which lawyers […]
Recent Laws Roll Back New York Bail Reforms
A year after New York lawmakers passed sweeping bail reforms that drastically reduced the numbers of defendants in pretrial detention, pressure from police and prosecutors has caused a rollback of some of the changes. The new laws eliminated bail for the majority of misdemeanors and non-violent felonies. Instead of having to post cash bail or […]
What NY Marijuana Offenses Still Exist After Decriminalization?
The state of New York saw sweeping changes to the legal status of marijuana when new laws were implemented at the end of August 2019. These laws accomplished two things: reduction of penalties for marijuana possession and automatic expungement of convictions for those offenses. However, it is important to understand that marijuana is still illegal […]
Continuing to Serve Our Clients During the COVID-19 Pandemic
As you know, New York State has been seriously affected by the coronavirus. Our thoughts and prayers are with anyone who is ill or has loved ones who have been infected with COVID-19. Understandably, this public health situation has caused concern for our firm’s current and prospective clients. The pandemic has changed the way we […]
