New York criminal court summons lawyer
When you receive a New York criminal court summons for an offense committed within the 5 boroughs of New York City, you will probably wonder what you need to do next and question “how much trouble” you’re actually in. Your first step should be to connect with a New York criminal court summons lawyer from Feifer & Greenberg, LLP.
Your attorney will guide you through the entire process, starting with how to respond to the summons, then working to keep your “trouble” minimal, protecting you from potentially long-term consequences.
What is a criminal court summons?
In New York City, you receive a criminal court summons, or “pink ticket,” from a police officer when you have violated certain laws. As the recipient of the pink ticket, you are called the “respondent.” Unlike those issued desk appearance tickets, court summons respondents are typically not arrested, fingerprinted, or photographed.
As a respondent, you must “respond” to the summons before the appearance date stated on the summons. For some violations, you can respond by mail but for others, you must respond in person.
There are courts in each of the boroughs of NYC that handle these pink criminal summonses.
- Bronx Criminal Court
215 E 161st Street, Bronx, NY 10451 - Kings & New York Criminal Court
1 Centre Street, 16th Floor, New York, NY 10007 - Red Hook Community Justice Center
88-94 Visitation Place, Brooklyn, NY 11213 - Midtown Community Court
314 W 54th Street, New York, NY 10019 - Queens Criminal Court
125-01 Queens Boulevard, Kew Gardens, NY 11417 - Richmond Criminal Court
26 Central Avenue, Staten Island, NY 10301
What are the different types of criminal court summons in NYC?
Pink tickets may be issued for traffic infractions, violations, and misdemeanors. Police officers often issue summonses for:
Trucking and commercial vehicle violations related to permits and vehicle dimensions
Unlawful behavior including:
- Disorderly conduct
- Reckless driving
- Subway offenses, including subway fare evasion
- Public consumption of alcohol
- Failure to yield
- Accidents with pedestrians
What are the legal
consequences and risks of a criminal court summons?
If your summons does not require an in-person appearance, you may pay your fine and avoid a hearing. If you choose to do this, you must submit your admission and payment before or on your scheduled hearing date. Keep in mind that by choosing this option, you are admitting to the charge and waiving your right to a hearing.
1. Steep fines
Fine amounts vary greatly according to the individual offense and the number of summonses issued overall in any single case. In setting fines, courts will often take into consideration different factors such as whether the summons is issued to a corporation or individual or whether certain vehicular defects were corrected prior to coming to court, or any other aggravating or mitigating factors.
2. Criminal record
While it may seem tempting to admit guilt, pay your fine, and “end” your experience with the criminal court, do not sign or admit anything without speaking to a criminal charges and criminal traffic court attorney. Remember, misdemeanors are crimes, so admission can leave you with a permanent criminal record, potentially affecting your immigration situation, job status, or employment prospects.
3. Employment and insurance issues
Further, even summonses issued for traffic violations or other types of violations can come with costly outcomes. If you drive for a living as a commercial driver, you can lose your commercial driver’s license (CDL) or otherwise affect your employment.
Whatever you drive, you can receive points on your license and see a possible increase in your insurance premium. You can also have your license suspended or revoked, creating havoc for your daily commutes. There may also be certain immigration implications or professional license implications that are worth considering before “just paying” the ticket to get it over with.
Why should I act now?
Failure to respond to a summons within the required time period will lead to further consequences. You may see increased penalties for the offense prompting the summons and additional punishments.
If you miss your court date, the court can issue a warrant for your arrest. Though teams of officers will probably not appear at your door, the warrant could be discovered by an employer during a background check or prevent you from re-entering the country if you’ve been traveling. If you are pulled over for even a routine traffic stop, the officer will likely find the warrant after running your license.
How can a New York criminal court summons lawyer help me?
A minor offense can lead to unanticipated, serious consequences, making it essential for you to work with a criminal charges and criminal court attorney after receiving a criminal court summons.
1. Protecting your legal rights
The team at Feifer & Greenberg, LLP is dedicated to protecting clients’ rights. We ensure your fair treatment by the court and will work to obtain a fair outcome.
2. Understanding the legal process
It can be a challenge to understand the instructions and implications of your summons and it can often be overwhelming trying to figure out the potential consequences and right thing to do.
Unfortunately, even unintentional mistakes that caused the summons to be issued or were made while dealing with the summons once it was issued can cost you dearly once you are in the legal system. Our attorneys have a comprehensive understanding of the legal process and will take your case through that process with efficiency.
3. Building a solid defense strategy
Receiving a summons does not make you automatically guilty of the related offense. Our attorneys will discuss your situation thoroughly as well as the plan for obtaining a favorable outcome. While sometimes a fight is necessary, other times the best strategy is to seek a reduction in your charges and penalties via a negotiation.
4. Negotiating with prosecutors
Negotiating with prosecutors can be tricky but it is indeed often a very productive strategy. With over 20 years of experience and legal knowledge equal to the prosecution, the criminal charges and criminal court attorneys at Feifer & Greenberg, LLP are well-equipped to handle these negotiations.
5. Representing clients in court
Should you choose to represent yourself against the charge(s) on your New York criminal court summons, you are responsible for following court procedure, remaining timely, appearing in court yourself, negotiations with the prosecutor, and in some cases cross-examining the officer who issued the summons and presenting evidence in your favor.
While some might successfully represent themselves, many others might do so where it is clearly not in their best interests and when other options are available. Feifer & Greenberg is ready to fight for you and provide the high-quality representation you need and very reasonable prices.
Our approach to criminal court summons cases
We take every New York criminal court summons seriously and give our clients the attention and respect they deserve. You can trust our team to handle you and your case with great care.
1. Initial consultation and case evaluation
We offer free consultations to our potential clients. Simply call our office or fill out our contact form. We will review your case, discuss the possible outcomes, present you with your options, and tell you how we can help. If you decide a partnership with us is a good fit, we will walk you through the process of getting started with representation. We keep things simple and streamlined, handling these tasks over the phone or online, so you do not have to travel to our offices unless you choose to.
2. Thorough investigation and gathering evidence
Each of our cases is assigned a case manager, who works with our attorneys to prepare for your court date. The goal is to make sure we remain timely with the court and have all evidence, paperwork, proof, statements, etc–basically, everything we need for your court date ready to go when the date arrives.
3. Strategic defense planning
A strategic defense is one that fits your specific situation. We do not take a “one-size-fits-all” approach to defense. We consider the unique circumstances of your case and help clients take the steps to bring the best possible outcome.
4. Communication and regular case updates
Waiting for updates on your case is stressful. You can count on us for regular communication about your case whenever there is a change in status or need to review any part of it all. After a court date or other deadline or change in case status, we will get in touch and keep you informed.
If we need to review or get more information from you, we will reach out to you, and we want you to reach out to us with your questions too.
Once your case is over, we will contact you with the results, review any further instructions, and remain available to answer any other questions that arise.
5. Aggressive advocacy in court
You do not need an attorney who goes through the motions. By partnering with our team, you will get the aggressive advocacy in court you need. We go to court prepared to fight for you–to protect your rights and give a strong defense–so you can move on with your life with as little interruption as possible.
Have you received a pink ticket? Call a New York criminal court summons lawyer today.
Feifer & Greenberg can help you with your New York criminal court summons in NYC. Schedule your free consultation with our skilled New York criminal traffic ticket lawyer by calling (888) 842-5384 or visiting our contact page.
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