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A criminal conviction, or even an arrest that did not lead to a conviction, can follow you around for the rest of your life. You may be denied housing, employment, or a professional license for this reason – and you might not even be told why, for example, that your employment application was rejected. New…

Lawyers like to use accident reconstruction specialists in motorcycle accident claims for one primary reason: You aren’t going to find a more persuasive witness than the laws of physics. And in a best-case scenario, an accident reconstruction specialist for the plaintiff will be able to prove that either (i) the accident was the defendant’s fault,…

To say that nursing home abuse is a horrifying act is an understatement. The appropriate adjective to describe the nursing home sexual abuse, however, would be “unspeakable” – except that we must speak of it, because it is a tragic reality. The December 2018 case of a nursing home resident who gave birth after having…

Campus sexual assault, and how schools handle it, is a hot-button political issue that stirs strong emotions on both sides of the debate. The Obama administration issued far-reaching reforms of campus sexual assault policy under Title IX by conditioning federal funding on schools’ compliance with certain reforms. The result was dozens of lawsuits filed by…

Something akin to a miracle occurred recently: Congress passed significant legislation with broad bipartisan support. The awkwardly-named “Formerly Incarcerated Reenter Society Transformed Safely Transitioning Every Person Act,” or FIRST STEP Act (the “Act”), was signed by President Trump on December 21, 2018. The new legislation is designed to improve federal prison conditions, allow for the…

Troy, NY, Criminal Defense Law Firm If the police suspect you of committing a crime and seek you question you, remember that you have a constitutional right to remain silent. That means that if you tell the police you don’t want to talk to them without a lawyer present, they are obligated to stop questioning…

You have no doubt heard the ironic expression “pure as New York snow,” which conjures up the mental image of ice blackened with soot. Well that’s not what “black ice” is. In fact, black ice is clear as a mountain stream. It looks black because, ominously, it covers blacktop. It is clear because you see…

When you are hurt in an auto accident caused by someone else, you can become very dependent on an auto insurance company that you may have never even heard of. That’s OK, don’t they insist on what good neighbors they are? The harsh reality, however, is that insurance companies are in business to make money…

Campus sexual misconduct has long been a concern of university administrators, social activists, and politicians alike. This concern sparked a movement to strengthen the protection of victims of campus sexual misconduct. The zenith of this movement was probably reached in 2011 when the federal government’s “Dear Colleague” letter was delivered to over 4,600 schools. The…

When is it OK to defend yourself against a federal criminal charge using evidence of your good character? When is it OK to use character evidence against your accuser? The Federal Rules of Evidence strictly limit the use of character evidence. There are exceptions, however, as well as loopholes that sneaky prosecutors can slip through….