By Goldman & Associates  | March 31, 2020

We're writing to update everyone on how the Corona Virus Pandemic has affected the criminal justice system in general and the operation of our office in particular. In terms of the court system, it is closed except for “essential functions.” Really about the only part of the system that is up and running is arraignments, which is when a person sees the judge shortly after being arrested and the judge decides whether to set bail or release the person without bail. In fact, even arraignments are being conducted remotely. In other words, the judge, DA, defense lawyer, and defendant are all appearing by video hook-up rather than in person.

Anyone who has a case scheduled in court during the foreseeable future will have their case automatically adjourned. People who are not incarcerated will have their cases adjourned for 90 days. People who are incarcerated will have their cases adjourned for 30 days. That means that if you have a case scheduled in the next month, you do NOT have to appear in court. You'll be notified by the court of your next court date. Needless to say, if you are a client of Goldman and Associates, we will find out when your case has been adjourned and let you know. Again, you do not need to go to court if your court date is in the next month. It's not clear at this point how long this situation will continue. When we have information that the court system will be returning to normal and people with pending cases will once more have to attend their court dates, we'll let you know right away.

In terms of our office, Governor Cuomo has ordered that all “nonessential” businesses be closed for the time being. That includes law firms like ours. So until we hear otherwise from Governor Cuomo, our office will be closed. Nonetheless, I remain available and working on behalf of our clients. The physical office may be closed, but we're still hard at work! We're still going to be delivering the excellent representation that our clients have come to expect from us for 30+ years.

What does that mean for you? If you have a question about how the Corona Virus pandemic effects your case, or just want to discuss something, feel free to call us at (718) 538-5743. You can also email us at [email protected]. If you or someone you know is arrested and needs our help, we're just a phone call away.

These are strange and uncertain times. If there's any way we can help, just let us know.

Stay healthy and safe!

Goldman and Associates