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Individuals of New York State are not eligible to serve on a jury after a felony conviction. However, that may be changing as Bill S09194 approaches a vote in the Senate. This Bill proposes that individuals with a felony conviction who have finished their sentence and reintegrated into society wo...

As a result of historic criminal justice legislation passed December 2018 by Congress, many federal prisoners can now petition courts for early release. The FSA- or The First Step Act- is – literally - the first step in reforming the federal prison system. The provisions focus on rehabilitation, ...

I remember early in my career as a public defender I appeared in night court during the arraignment shift. The purpose of arraignments in New York State Criminal Court was for a defendant to be informed of his charges and the judge to make a bail determination – or in other words, hold a bail hea...

Sullivan & Brill is now defending a client charged in a criminal indictment in the SDNY charging alleged members of organized crime families with a RICO conspiracy. The charges included accusations of Health Care Fraud, Illegal Sports Gambling, Unstamped Cigarette Distribution, Firearm Possession...

If you have been arrested and charged with DWI in New York, it is likely that your car was seized as well. The seizure of your vehicle can make an already traumatic situation much worse. Even if you have not been found guilty of the charge, the NYPD has authority to seize your car because under c...

The criminal law can be unforgiving. If you happen to find yourself convicted of a New York State or Federal crime--whether misdemeanor or felony--the conviction plants itself on your record forever--literally.  In effect punished a second time by wearing that conviction like a scarlet letter on...

In 1993, a 25 year old woman living in New York pleaded guilty to bank fraud, and received one day in jail, six months of house arrest, and four years of probation. She did her time, began to pursue nursing school, and was able to move forward and put the whole incident behind her - or so she tho...

When it comes to the inner-workings of the criminal justice system, there is no other component more integral but less understood than bail. The main reason for this confusion is that each state has its own way of handling the bail process. For example in New York State, bail is typically imposed...

Sullivan & Brill, LLP, a New York City based personal injury and criminal defense law firm with offices in Puerto Rico, is pleased to announce that its founding partners, Joseph Sullivan and Steven Brill, have been selected as Super Lawyers for 2015. Both Mr. Sullivan and Mr. Brill were named Ne...

Sullivan & Brill, LLP is pleased to announce a positive development in the case of Vitaly Korchevsky, our Ukrainian client who is currently charged with cybercrimes and insider trading. On the morning of August 26, Attorney Steven Brill, against considerable resistance from the Honorable Raymond ...

When it comes to prison and sentence reform, the winds of change are starting to blow. Recently a small number of non-violent, drug offenders were granted clemency from serving multi-year and life sentences and yesterday, for the first time ever, a sitting President visited a federal prison. Also...

Last month, TV viewers were captivated by HBO's true crime documentary series, The Jinx, and its enigmatic subject, real estate heir and three-time alleged murderer, Robert Durst. Among them was Attorney Steven Brill, who has now lent his legal insight on the series' shocking, final "confession" ...

The Huffington Post has published a new and thoughtful piece by Attorney Steven Brill. The article, "Everybody Deserves a Second Chance, Right?" explores new efforts on the state and federal level to help make those with a criminal record more employable—and the many obstacles those individuals s...

The Huffington Post recently published an article written by Attorney Steven Brill that discusses the role of the grand jury in the headline-making Ferguson and Staten Island cases. In both cases, the actions of white police officers resulted in the deaths of unarmed black men. The grand jury dec...

How many times have we heard a lawyer called a name like "ambulance chaser," "shark," and "shyster?" Usually, this derogatory, name-calling is triggered by cases in which an attorney represents a person who has been injured by another's negligence or misconduct, or represents a defendant who is c...

Some may be interested to know that laws against Cyber Bullying are coming. If a new law out of Albany County, New York, is any indication, then the writing is on the wall that this controversial trend is a high priority for government and is about to be addressed. The Albany County law that was ...

The relationship between art and real life has been the source of great debate. Recently, questions surrounding the relationship between art and life have entered the courtroom – more specifically the courtroom hosting a federal criminal trial involving charges related to drugs and violence - whe...

At the moment there is no specific statute criminalizing what is commonly known as "revenge porn" in New York. As it is generally understood, revenge porn refers to the unauthorized publication or dissemination of nude or otherwise sexually compromising photographs or video. There are existing st...

New York's City Council is about to vote on a new bill that will ban private business from asking potential job applicants if they have ever been convicted of a crime – until after the job offer has been made. The Bill, which is known as the "Fair Chance Act," would permit private employers to re...

A person accused by the United States of committing a crime is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. But he faces a foe of powerful might and vast resources, intent on seeing him behind bars. That individual has the right to choose the advocate he believes will most abl...

In the Eastern District of New York, over the last year, judges appear to setting a stricter standard for police when considering whether or not to suppress evidence obtained in a warrantless search. In five different decisions handed down since April 24, 2013, judges have granted defendants' mot...

Federal Sentencing for Drug Crime is about to get smarter; or at least that is what some people think. In what could be a significant change in the Federal Sentencing laws for drug crimes, Senator Richard Durbin sponsored a bill – "The Smarter Sentencing Act of 2013" or SSA - that was introduced ...

What exactly happened on the night of when Oscar Pistorius' finance was found dead in her bathroom and Mr. Pistorius was found with a loaded pistol in his possession. The South African prosecutor claims that as a result of a domestic dispute, Mr. Pistorius shot her with the intention to kill. Mr....

When one hears the words "revenge porn," the images conjured up are not pleasant ones. The term revenge porn stems from the idea that a way to get back at – or take revenge – on an ex may be to publically send out nude or sexually compromising images of the ex by means of the web. Given the ease ...

The death of actor Phillip Seymour Hoffman from a heroin overdose has triggered an interesting debate as to whether the individuals who sold Mr. Hoffman the drugs should be criminally liable for his death. Presently however, New York State has no crime on its books that specifically addresses thi...