Criminal Defense Attorneys in the Capital Region

Felonies and Misdemeanors We Handle

The New York Penal Law covers an enormous range of conduct, from low-level violations to A-felonies that carry life exposure. Our criminal defense attorneys handle the categories of cases that move through Capital Region courts every day, including:

• Violent offenses. Assault in all degrees, menacing, strangulation, robbery, and weapons charges, including unlawful possession of a firearm and criminal possession of a weapon.
• Drug offenses. Possession and sale charges under Penal Law Article 220, including cases involving controlled substances, prescription medications, and alleged intent-to-distribute quantities. We also handle marijuana-related charges that survived the 2021 reforms.
• Property crimes. Larceny, burglary, criminal mischief, trespass, identity theft, and possession of stolen property — both as standalone matters and as components of more complex prosecutions.
• White-collar and fraud. Scheme to defraud, falsifying business records, forgery, grand larceny by fraud, insurance fraud, tax-related charges, and offenses arising from workplace investigations.
• Family offenses and contempt. Charges arising from a domestic dispute, violation of an order of protection, and parallel Family Court matters that often follow an arrest.
• Sex offenses. Charges that carry registration consequences in addition to incarceration exposure — a category that requires careful, experienced handling at every stage.
• Computer-related crimes. Unauthorized access, identity theft, and offenses charged under Article 156 of the Penal Law.
• Conspiracy, false statements, and obstruction. Charges that often appear alongside an underlying offense and that materially expand sentencing exposure.

For DWI and DWAI, see our dedicated [DWI and DWAI](/personal/dwi-and-dwai/) page. For non-criminal traffic citations, our [traffic violations](/personal/traffic-violations/) practice handles the moving violations and points-related matters that most often follow a stop.

What Happens After an Arrest

The first stretch after an arrest is fast, procedural, and consequential. Understanding the sequence helps clients make better decisions in the moment — and gives us room to work.

**Arraignment.** The first court appearance, usually within 24 hours of arrest. The judge informs you of the charges, enters a not-guilty plea on your behalf, and addresses release. Having counsel at arraignment matters: arguments about bail, supervised release, and conditions are made now, not later.

**Bail and pretrial release.** New York’s bail reform statutes restrict cash bail for most misdemeanors and many non-violent felonies, but the rules are detailed and the exceptions matter. We push for the least restrictive conditions that the law and the case permit.

**Discovery.** Under [VERIFY: CPL Article 245] discovery rules, the prosecution is required to turn over its evidence on a defined timeline. This is where the case actually takes shape — police reports, body-cam footage, lab results, witness statements, grand jury minutes when applicable. We read every page and build the defense from the record, not from assumptions.

**Plea versus trial decision points.** Most cases resolve before trial, but a resolution that protects the client only happens after the state’s case has been pressure-tested. We don’t recommend a plea until we know what the evidence actually shows, what motions are viable, and what a jury would realistically be presented with.

Pre-Trial Strategy

The work that determines most outcomes happens before opening statements. Pre-trial motion practice can suppress evidence, reduce charges, or end a case entirely.

We review every stop, search, statement, and identification for constitutional defects. A traffic stop made without reasonable suspicion, a search conducted without a valid warrant or recognized exception, a statement taken in violation of Miranda, a show-up identification conducted in a suggestive way — each is a potential motion to suppress, and a successful suppression often gutts the prosecution’s case.

Motion practice also includes challenges to the sufficiency of the accusatory instrument, requests for bills of particulars, motions to dismiss in the interest of justice in appropriate cases, and Sandoval and Molineux motions that shape what the prosecution can introduce if the case reaches trial.

Plea negotiations run in parallel. A negotiated disposition that takes a felony down to a misdemeanor, eliminates a registration requirement, preserves a professional license, or secures a youthful offender adjudication can change the trajectory of a client’s life as decisively as an acquittal. We negotiate from a position of preparation — knowing the file as well as the prosecutor does, and often better.

Trial

Not every case should be tried. The ones that should are tried with the same preparation that goes into every other stage — the trial isn’t the moment to start building a defense, it’s the moment the defense gets presented.

When a case warrants trial, our work runs from jury selection through verdict: voir dire focused on identifying jurors who can fairly evaluate the evidence, opening statements that frame the case the jury is about to hear, cross-examination of the state’s witnesses, presentation of the defense case where appropriate, and summation tied to the reasonable-doubt standard the jury is instructed to apply.

Several of our attorneys bring prior prosecution experience to the defense table — direct insight into how the state builds a case, what its weaknesses tend to be, and where a careful cross-examination puts pressure on its theory. That perspective shapes how we prepare, what we challenge, and how we present the defense to a Capital Region jury.

DWI and DWAI — Separate Practice

DWI and DWAI cases have their own procedural rhythm — chemical test refusal hearings, DMV consequences that run alongside the criminal case, conditional licenses, and the IDP and Drinking Driver Program pathways that affect both license and disposition. We handle these matters separately and in depth on our [DWI and DWAI](/personal/dwi-and-dwai/) page.

If You’ve Been Arrested or Charged, Time Matters.

The decisions made in the first 72 hours — what you say to the police, who appears at your arraignment, what bail conditions are negotiated, what evidence is preserved — shape what’s possible at every stage that follows. The earlier we’re involved, the more room there is to work.

Our criminal defense team takes calls at our [Clifton Park](/clifton-park/) and [Albany](/albany/) offices, and the conversation is confidential whether or not you decide to retain us. Call **(518) 371-8888** to speak with a member of our team, or fill out the form on our [contact us](/contact-us/) page. If your matter is urgent — an arraignment scheduled, a warrant outstanding, a search executed — please call directly.

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