New York Criminal Law

Experienced New York Criminal Law Attorney

There are two situations in which you will need a lawyer when charged with a crime:

• After a police officer has determined that you have committed a crime, you will be given a notice to appear in criminal court on a specific day and at a specific time. You also might have to post bail at the precinct. This often occurs when a person is charged with violations or misdemeanors, which are not serious crimes. It is not until your court date that we can attempt to plea bargain the case so you don’t have a criminal record. However, if you have a criminal history, the district attorney will not offer you as favorable a plea bargain as he or she would to someone who has no criminal record.
• If you are arrested and have to spend the night in jail, you will be brought in front of the judge for an arraignment. An arraignment is when the court informs you of the charges. The judge either will set bail or release you on your own recognizance.

If you are faced with either of these situations, contact a New York criminal law attorney immediately. The police often are not truthful with individuals charged with a crime and may tell you to sign a statement. This is one of the worst things you can do. You do not want to give the police any statements; the statements may be used against you and will affect our ability to plea bargain your case and get the best offer possible.

There are pretrial hearings to have any oral or written statements be thrown out of court. So it is in your best interests not to make any written or oral statements. Once you request or retain an attorney, the police are not allowed to take any statements from you that might be detrimental to your case.

If you are charged with a crime in either of the above situations, the jury or judge must find you guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

An attorney also can get the best plea bargain offer available. Most people do not realize that pleading guilty to a crime often has consequences for future employment. Also, if a person accepts a plea bargain that involves a misdemeanor offer, that person might not be eligible for certain government jobs or might even be fired from his or her current job when the employer learns about the crime.

Contact Suffolk County, New York, Criminal Law Attorney Shawn Kassman

If you have questions related to New York criminal law or want more information about the criminal law process, please call criminal defense attorney Shawn Kassman or a member of his legal team at 631-232-9479 (toll-free 1-888-545-2944), or fill out our online intake form. We are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week and defend clients located in Central Islip (main office location), Holtsville (office location), Bayshore, Brentwood, Oakdale, Sayville, Port Jefferson and Riverhead, and both Suffolk and Nassau Counties. Our Central Islip law offices are conveniently located down the street from the courthouse, and we can assist you with your criminal defense at your time of need.