Appellate Advocates

Appellate Advocates is a non-profit public defender organization, based in New York City, that, since 1995, has provided the highest quality representation of individuals convicted of criminal offenses in Brooklyn, Queens, and Staten Island. We are dedicated to guaranteeing equal justice for all persons under the law, regardless of their ability to pay for an attorney, and our diverse attorneys and other staff have years of experience handling criminal and constitutional matters in New York State courts. With our client-centered approach, we devote our full attention and energy to each case, exploring all possible avenues for relief and zealously advocating for every one of our clients. Our mission is two-fold. We strive for forward progress in criminal law in ways that will benefit all of our clients, by identifying recurring legal issues across cases and strategizing about how to best present those issues to the appellate courts to effectuate change. We are dedicated to identifying each client’s individual needs, exploring all legal avenues to meeting those needs, and advocating for the best possible outcome. Through this lens, our practice has expanded beyond direct appellate advocacy. Our team regularly represents clients at hearings to determine their designated risk level under the Sex Offender Registration Act, and we have identified and pursued various litigation strategies for clients subject to draconian housing restrictions imposed by the Sexual Assault Reform Act. Our team is dedicated to helping our clients avoid negative immigration consequences from their convictions, including prior plea convictions too stale to appeal. We have successfully litigated and negotiated to replace numerous old plea convictions with an alternative that helps our clients avoid deportation or obtain other immigration relief. For many years, we successfully brought litigation under the Drug Law Reform Act to reduce harsh sentences for clients convicted of drug crimes.