Here’s one question we are consistently asked: “Do I need to hire a lawyer for my desk appearance?” The short answer is “yes” and “absolutely.” In this blog, we discuss why this is. First, let’s explain to you what your Desk Appearance Ticket (“DAT”) is. The Criminal Procedure Law defines the DAT as “a written…
Continue reading ›Perhaps someday, the New York Assembly will legalize sex work (several political candidates have recently promised to take steps toward legalization). For now, however, it is still a Class B misdemeanor in New York to “engage or agree or offer to engage in sexual conduct with another person in return for a fee.” Penal Law…
Continue reading ›A majority of our clients are booked, processed and “put through the system,” meaning they are brought to central booking shortly after arrest and then brought out before a Judge for an arraignment on the charges. Usually, this arraignment occurs within roughly 24 hours of the arrest. Other clients are issued Desk Appearance Tickets (“D.A.T.’s”)…
Continue reading ›Earlier this month, Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance, Jr., announced three new policies to further streamline the criminal justice system and reduce the backlog of cases in New York County’s Criminal Courts. As of February 1, 2018, the Manhattan DA’s Office began declining to prosecute, with certain exceptions, all New York City subway farebeat (“turnstile…
Continue reading ›Muchos neoyorquinos y otros han sido arrestados y recibieron lo que se conoce como Desk appearance ticket. Un ejemplo de tal ticket se encuentra a continuación. Desk Appearance Tickets pueden ser emitidos en casos que involucren asuntos de violaciones menores o delitos menores, y se dan a menudo a las personas que son arrestadas por…
Continue reading ›An F1 visa is a non-immigrant visa granted to people abroad who wish to enter the United States in order to attend academic institutions, training programs, or conservatories. As is the case with any non-citizen, an arrest and conviction for even the most petty offense can trigger serious consequences for an F1 visa holder, including…
Continue reading ›O-1 visas are granted to individuals who possess extraordinary ability in the sciences, arts, education, business, or athletics (O-1A), as well as those with a demonstrated record of extraordinary achievement in the motion picture or television industry, and who have been recognized nationally or internationally for those achievements (O-1B). O-2 visas are granted to those…
Continue reading ›New York City owes much of its energy and excellence to the foreign citizens living and working here. Unfortunately, a visa or green card holder’s right to remain in the United States can be seriously jeopardized by a Desk Appearance Ticket, even when the charges are comparatively minor misdemeanors. Many visa holders fail to take…
Continue reading ›Woodbury Commons Desk Appearance Ticket for Shoplifting (Penal Law Section 155.25) Woodbury Commons is a popular outlet mall and shopping destination for tourists and locals alike. The designer clothing and other luxury items on sale there make it an easy place for shoppers to give in to temptation. Unfortunately, many of those people make the…
Continue reading ›H1B visas (allowing foreign citizens with highly specialized expertise in the areas of math, science and engineering, among others, to live and work in the United States) are highly sought after and not easy to get due to the limit – or “cap” – on the number of such visas granted each year. There are…
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