Our skilled New York criminal defense lawyers and White Plains criminal defense attorneys fight hard to bring a bad situation to a good resolution. We have fought many drug and weapons charges and are well-versed in search and seizure law. From misdemeanors like petit larceny to much more serious charges of assault or rape, our attorneys have seen it all. Our practice areas include:

• Arrest, Bail, Bond, and Arraignment: Most ordinary citizens have no idea what to do if they are arrested. No matter why you were arrested, our team of criminal lawyers can guide you through the next steps and help you reach the best possible outcome.
• Assault with a Weapon: If you are charged with assault with a weapon, a criminal attorney can investigate your case and build compelling evidence about the level of injury, the weapon used, and whether the actions were justified.
• Criminal Trespass: Because the punishment for criminal trespassing can be very serious, you need a lawyer on your side who can help you clear your name.
• Domestic Violence: By contacting a law office immediately after you are accused of domestic violence, you can protect yourself and your family from egregious charges.
• Driving with a Suspended License: Our New York City and Westchester criminal defense attorneys have represented hundreds of clients who were charged with driving with a suspended license and we've won many dismissals and charge reductions for these types of cases.
• Drug/Narcotic Charges: Our lawyers have handled drug and narcotic charges for both misdemeanor and felonies. We have a high success rate of getting charges reduced and helping our clients avoid jail.
• DUI/DWI - Driving under the influence (DUI) is a serious crime. If you fail a roadside sobriety test and blood-alcohol level test during a DUI stop, you could be subject to driver's license suspension, jail time, and thousands of dollars in fines.  Our Westchester attorneys who defend people arrested for driving while intoxicated have extensive experience in keeping our clients our of jail, getting charges reduced. Our Westchester DWI criminal defense lawyers can keep a mistake from ruining your life. 
• False Documents: If you were charged with possession of false documents simply because you are an undocumented worker trying to eat and live, we can help you get your charges reduced and create a plea deal that does not affect your immigration status. Likewise if you used a fake identification to buy alcohol or get into a bar or club and got caught with an altered license, our criminal defense attorneys can keep you from getting a criminal record.  
• Grand Larceny: Grand larceny ranges from grand larceny in the first degree (stealing property that is valued at over one million dollars) to grand larceny in the fourth degree (stealing property valued at more than one thousand  dollars). Because the amounts can be so high, grand larceny is often considered a white collar crime.
• Marihuana Charges: OurNYC and Westchester criminal defense lawyers most frequently handle cases where clients are accused of Unlawful Possession of Marihuana. Our attorneys view use of marihuana as a harmless vice that should be legal, so we fight hard to get our clients who use marihuana out of trouble and keep them from getting criminal convictions. 
• Obstruction of Governmental Administration: Because our law office has seen many obstruction of governmental administration cases overcharged or improperly charged, we want to protect our clients against these baseless accusations.
• Property Seized by the Government: If your property was seized by the federal government, our criminal defense team can help determine whether the case is legitimate or not. Whenever someone is stopped by the police or your house was raided by the police and they have thousands of dollars of cash, officer just assume that the money is from illegal activity. In many cases, you have the right to get that money back, but you have to act quickly.  
• Prostitution or Patronizing a Prostitute: Our Westchester criminal defense lawyers have handled a cases of men arrested in online sex stings, for patronizing a prostitute. These stings are usually setups where officers post fake prostitution ads on websites.  Our prostitution defense lawyers have also represented numerous women who arrested where officers pose as customers and answer ads on line.  Our prostitution defense lawyers have extensive experience in handling prostitution cases throughout Westchester and New York City, and are able to resolve most cases without a criminal conviction and with the records sealed.  If you are facing a charge of prostitution or patronizing a prostitute, call our NYC and Westchester criminal defense lawyers today. 
• Rape Charges and Sex Crimes: Our criminal defense attorneys have helped many clients who were wrongfully charged with rape obtain dismissals, avoid jail time, and keep their criminal records clean. Our criminal defense attorneys have handled a wide array of sex crimes in all of the Westchester Courts. 
• Robbery: We've handled cases for many clients who were wrongfully charged with robbery. 
• Sex Crimes: Our attorneys are well versed in criminal defense for a wide range of sex crimes including prostitution, rape, and lack of consent. Our lawyers are on your side, we don't judge you. Our job is to get you through this situation with as little collateral damage to your life as possible. 
• Shoplifting and Petit Larceny: If you were accused of stealing property valued at $1,000 or less, our attorneys can represent you. Our shoplifting and Petit Larceny attorneys can get charges reduced, avoid a criminal conviction and get you out of trouble without probation or jail. 
• Violations of Probation: If you were falsely accused of a new crime while on probation, our lawyers try to get the case to trial as soon as possible so that you can get out of jail and back on probation.
• Youthful Offenders: Because a criminal record can put a stain on the rest of a child's life, you need a skilled criminal lawyer on your side to protect a child from serious charges.

*According to the New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services 

Our criminal defense team wants to minimize the impact that your charges and convictions have on your life. Our goal is to lessen your charges, which may include:

• Employment Issues
• Eviction
• Fines 
• Loss of Driving Privileges 
• Loss of Income 
• Immigration or Travel Issues
• Incarceration
• Permanent Record 
• Probation or Community Service

Arrest 

The arrest process in New York City can be a daunting one. Based on only an accusation, anyone arrested and taken to a precinct is looking at a 12 to 24-hour booking process. Having an experience Manhattan criminal defense attorney on your side can expedite this process. From the moment our attorneys are retained, we contact the police and stop any interrogation. We put in a notice of appearance at the court and regularly keep in contact with the court’s arraignment party to monitor when a case is court ready. If you do not have a lawyer, you will most likely have to sit in a holding cell, waiting in line to have your case called. Let our New York City criminal defense attorneys protect you. 

Exercise your right to call a criminal lawyer. Remember, you also have the right to access your criminal attorney as a counsel throughout the entire process. 

Our team will help get your case called as soon as it is ready for criminal court. We have gotten numerous clients out of police custody without bail, even on felony charges. On serious charges, we work closely with bail bondsmen to make sure that our clients don’t spend any more time in jail than is absolutely necessary. In many cases, by having a bail bondsman hired prior to the arraignment, we have kept several clients from going to Rikers Island, the Manhattan House of Detention, and the Barge. 

Arraignment 

An arraignment is a formal announcement of a defendant's criminal charges. If your loved one has been arrested for a felony in New York City or Westchester, it can be beneficial to have a criminal defense attorney present at the arraignment. Our experienced criminal defense attorneys know how to make arguments which will convince a Judge that your loved one is not a flight risk and does not require a high bail.  After a judge has informed you of the charges and you have entered a plea, one of our criminal defense attorneys will explain to the judge why you should be released or try to convince the judge that your bail should be lowered.

The judge will then deliver his or her ruling, which may include: 

• An immediate release with a promise to return for your trial 
• A dismissal of your case
• A release on bail
• Jail without bail 

*According to City and State New York 

The arraignment parts in New York City run every day and through the night. If your family member was arrested and is waiting for arraignment, call us. Our Manhattan criminal defense lawyers know the process and how to get your loved one through it. 

The Conferences

There are often numerous appearances in criminal court, where our White Plains criminal defense lawyers and Manhattan criminal defense attorneys meet with the prosecutor and Judge to see if we can come to an agreement to resolve the case. This often includes an offer of a reduction in the charge and an agreement to the sentence in exchange for a guilty plea. This is often called plea bargaining. Our experienced criminal defense lawyers know how to maximize this process to make the prosecutor aware of weaknesses in their case as well as positive things about our client. This wealth of experience can yield tremendously beneficial results for our clients in terms of favorable outcomes of their criminal charges. 

Wait for Trial

Depending on the judge's ruling, you will wait for your court date at home or within a jail. Both Discovery and Motions and Hearings take place in the time leading up to your trial. During discovery, our criminal defense team will receive information related to the case. As criminal defense attorneys, we are responsible for filing motions to suppress any evidence that was brought forward illegally. 

Trial

Trials are a lengthy and complex process. It is usually broken down into several steps: a jury will be selected, both sides will read their opening statements, the prosecutors will present their evidence, we will present our evidence, and both sides will provide their closing arguments before the jury is left to deliberate. To win a criminal trial requires extensive preparation. Our New York City and Westchester criminal defense lawyers have an excellent record of wining not guilty verdicts at trial. We work hard to fight the case and present evidence of innocence. Our attorneys are relentless advocates who go the extra mile to expose baseless criminal prosecutions. 

If your case goes to rial, you need a knowledgeable and experienced criminal lawyer on your side. Choosing the wrong lawyer to represent you in trial can have devastating consequences. 

Sentencing 

If a sentence is not reached with a plea deal, the sentence will ultimately be up to the judge. Our criminal defense lawyers will present a information to the Court that highlights your redeeming qualities and contributions while taking attention away from your conviction. By shining a positive light on you as a person and not as a criminal, we can encourage the judge to issue a lighter sentence. 

Appeal

If you are convicted, you also have the right to appeal your case. Like a trial, the appeals process requires you to have a skilled criminal defense lawyer on your side. If you need to appeal your case, the criminal defense team at the Law Office of Michael H. Joseph, PLLC will be by your side through every step of the process. 

One of the most frequent questions that our White Plains criminal defense lawyers and Manhattan criminal defense lawyers are asked is "A detective is calling me, What Do I Do?" or The police came to my house "What do I do".  The answer is you need an experienced criminal defense lawyer, now. If a detective is calling you, then you are already a suspect. The police may suspect that you were involved or that you did something but they often don't have the evidence to prove it, or they have holes in their case that they want tyou to fill in. If a detective is telling you that they just want to talk or hear your side of the story, don't believe it. They want you to come in, so they can grill you, and get you to confess or make admissions that they can use against, then they will arrest you. The police will use every unfair tactic they can to get you to confess. They are allowed to lie to you. They will tell you that everything will just go easier if you tell them what they want to hear. They will tell you that you can go home tonight if you admit what you did, but they don't tell you that you just gave a confession that can land you in jiaol.  Don't go into the lion's den, call an experienced White Plains criminal defense attorney or Manhattan criminal defense lawyer. 

Our criminal defense attorneys can put a barrier between the police and you, and we will assert your rights to not answer questions for you. If the police want to arrest you, we will schedule a time when you can walk in with a lawyer, get an appearance ticket or be arraigned the same day and get back on with your life. Also if you walk into a police station and give a confession, then your ability to negotiate is hampered. 

Hiring a criminal lawyer may seem financially impossible during this time. But at the Law Office of Michael H. Joseph, PLLC, we offer free initial consultations. On top of very affordable legal fees, we also have flexible payment plans and accept all major credit cards. Even if you're not being charged with a "white collar crime," you can afford a top attorney. For more information, send us a message or call our office: 

(914) 574-8330