You Received an Appearance Ticket or DAT – Now What?

By Jill K. Sanders, Esq. An appearance ticket or DAT (Desk Appearance Ticket) is a summons issued by a police officer to appear in criminal court. If you’ve received an appearance ticket or have be...

Hate Crimes in New York – What You Need to Know

By Jill K. Sanders, Esq. Hate crimes are frequently talked about in the news. And in some cases, bias intent coupled with violence has led to serious injuries or even death. Such hate crimes are pu...

Decriminalization of Marijuana in New York

By Jill K. Sanders, Esq. In June, the New York legislature passed a bill which decriminalizes many marijuana possession offenses. While not fully legalizing the drug's possession, it shows that New...

Gravity Knives No Longer Illegal In New York

By Jill K. Sanders, Esq. On May 30, 2019, Governor Cuomo signed into law a bill removing criminal sanctions for the possession of gravity knives. This bill brings the state’s laws into line with a...
adult criminal convictions sealed

Additional Reforms in the NY Criminal Justice System

By Jill K. Sanders, Esq. As discussed in last week's blog, the legislature recently passed sweeping bail and discovery reforms. There are also several other reforms taking place. Here, we discuss a...