Criminal defense attorneys in Bronx County, New York City, are some of the most highly trained lawyers in the country. The vast majority of criminal defense lawyers practicing in the Bronx were trained at The Legal Aid Society, The Bronx Defenders, or Bronx District Attorney’s Office. The Legal Aid Society and Bronx Defenders provide defense lawyers for indigent persons charged with crimes. The Bronx District Attorney’s Office is responsible for prosecuting those very same individuals. All three organizations are comprised of hundreds of individuals, including lawyers, para-legals investigators, forensic experts, social workers, counselors, and secretarial support staff. The reason why these organizations are as large as they are is simple; the Bronx represents one of the prime epicenters of criminal justice in the nation.
Unlike most other jurisdictions around the country, several hundred persons are arrested in the Bronx on a daily basis, for crimes ranging from simple trespass to murder. Attorneys practicing in the Bronx Courts must familiarize themselves with a vast array of rules, regulations, penal law sections, motion practice rules, criminal and civil procedure, Grand Jury practice, document preparation, rules of evidence, and many other areas of criminal practice. Each person arrested is entitled to legal representation. Your average Bronx criminal lawyer maintains in excess of 100 cases. Each of these cases needs to be properly reviewed by the assigned attorney. In many cases, legal documents need to be assembled and submitted to the court. Legal deadlines must be adhered to. Witnesses must be interviewed, and evidence examined. Although many cases are resolved with a plea bargain, some cases end up in the Grand Jury, hearing, or trial proceedings. On any given day, Bronx defense attorneys may handle anywhere from 5 to 15 criminal cases. Any casual observer in the Bronx Criminal Courts can observe lawyers racing from courtroom to courtroom. In one case, the attorney may be negotiating a plea bargain with a disgruntled client. Racing to another court, the attorney may begin cross examining a police officer in a continued evidentiary hearing. During a recess in court proceedings, for example, attorneys regularly contact prosecutors, court clerks, law secretaries, and Judges, to resolve outstanding trial calendar issues.
Each of the three organizations mentioned has instituted procedures for handling files, and representing clients and/or victims. Attorneys working for these agencies must routinely consult and review their cases with senior and more experienced lawyers, as well as experts in fingerprint identification, handwriting, weaponry, chemistry, psychiatry, and many other trained experts in a particular field of forensics. In addition, each of these agencies has set up special training sessions designed to educate and enhance trial skills. Mock trials and hearing are supervised by senior trial lawyers who evaluate and tutor some of the newly hired attorneys. These agencies also routinely prepare and distribute updates on the latest legal developments relating to criminal justice. Hence, due the large volume, and variety of criminal cases, the existence of large established institutions designed to defend or prosecute, and the institutional training programs afforded the lawyers, Bronx Criminal Lawyers are now recognized as some of the most highly trained, and experienced criminal lawyers in the nation.