New York legal news
Federal Judge Overturns New York Ban on Bullet-Proof Vests and Body Armor
A federal judge struck down New York's ban on purchasing body armor, ruling it violates the Second Amendment rights of citizens seeking self-defense.
Justice Dept. Settles Claim Village of Atlantic Beach Discriminated Against Religious Uses
The DOJ reached a settlement with Atlantic Beach, NY, requiring the village to allow places of worship to be built without special permits and to train officials on RLUIPA.
New York Appeals Court Considers Challenge to Unlicensed Handgun Possession Law
The New York Attorney General urged the state's top appeals court to uphold the criminal prohibition on unlicensed handgun possession as the court heard arguments from a defendant challenging the law under the Bruen test.
OSHA Proposes 8,094 in Fines Over Deep Excavation Hazards at Monroe Commercial Site
Federal safety officials proposed 8,094 in penalties against six contractors after finding an unstable 75-foot excavation face at a Monroe, New York building site.
2,152 attorneys and law firms in New York State are listed here, concentrated in Buffalo, Syracuse, White Plains, Poughkeepsie and Brooklyn. The practice areas that appear most often are personal injury, criminal defence, business law and real estate law.
How the courts are organised
New York's naming is unlike anywhere else: the Supreme Court is the trial court of general jurisdiction, not the highest court, and the state's top court is the Court of Appeals. Serious criminal cases are heard in County Court outside New York City, and family matters in the Family Court. The state is divided into thirteen judicial districts, and federal cases fall to the Southern, Eastern, Northern or Western District of New York.
Points that shape New York cases
— Attorneys are admitted through one of the four Appellate Division departments; registration and discipline records are public.
— New York is a no-fault auto state. Your own insurer pays medical bills and lost earnings, and a suit for pain and suffering requires the injury to meet the statutory serious injury threshold.
— Property in a divorce is divided by equitable distribution — what the court considers fair, which is not automatically half.
— No-fault benefit applications carry deadlines measured in weeks, far shorter than the deadline to sue.
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