Reducing bail to a mathematical formula

I came across a fascinating article this morning discussing a new concept in the criminal justice systems of some states: fixing (or not imposing at all) bail based on an algorithm that takes into account a defendant’s criminal history and the nature of the...

Family Court and the Highest Stakes

After having read this article in the New Yorker, I feel compelled to share it.  It is about as realistic a picture as I have ever seen in the media of the high stakes in a Family Court neglect case. One thing I will say however is that the Deputy County Attorneys and...

A brief history of Times Square

The owners of the building where my office is located have assembled a really cool brochure on the storied history of the building.  I found it was really neat and interesting so I thought I would share.  Please click on each image to enlarge. Enjoy:...

Potential Seismic Shift in New York Family Law

The New York Court of Appeals issued a potential landmark decision on August 30th that has particular relevance in the area of family law regarding same-sex couples. In Matter of Brooke S.B., the Court of Appeals overturned its prior holding in Matter of Alison D....

Positive Results

Sometimes headlines in the paper can be deceiving… I was happy last week to bring to a positive conclusion a Robbery case that has been somewhat high-profile as outlined in the Democrat and Chronicle article below.  My client wasn’t sentenced to 18 years. ...

A short primer on police-citizen interactions

People v. DeBour, N.Y.2d 210 (1976) is the touchstone Court of Appeals case governing police-citizen interactions in New York. One must always keep in mind that “Where a police encounter is not justified in its inception, it cannot be validated by a subsequently...