Tell us what happened
Call (718) 484-7510, or use the form below. You get a free conversation with an attorney in your language: we speak English, Russian and Spanish in-house, and we bring in a live interpreter for anything else. We will tell you which claims the facts support, which deadlines apply to the agency involved, what evidence to preserve this week, and whether a pending criminal case changes the timing. If we are not the right firm, we will say so.
Request a case review
Everything marked required is needed so we can reach you. Everything else helps us prepare.
If the arrest was by the NYPD, the notice of claim clock is 90 days
A claim against the City of New York under New York law usually has to be noticed within 90 days of the incident. The federal claim has a longer clock, but the state-law claims, and the leverage they add, can be lost before the criminal case is even over. Tell us the date first. The notice of claim page explains the rule.
Faster than the form
If the incident was more than two months ago, or someone is still in custody, do not wait for an email. Call (718) 484-7510. The line is answered around the clock.
What the conversation covers
- We will ask what happened, when, where, and which agency the officers worked for, because the agency decides the deadline and the defendants.
- We will ask what the criminal court did with any charge, because the outcome of the criminal case controls which civil claims are open.
- We will ask about injuries, medical treatment, witnesses and recordings, and tell you what to preserve and what to request this week.
- We will tell you which claims the facts support and which deadlines apply, including the ones the deadline tool cannot see.
- We will tell you whether a CCRB or internal affairs complaint helps or hurts at this stage, and how to sequence it.
- We will tell you whether you need a lawyer at all right now, and whether that lawyer should be us.
What it costs
The case review is free. If we take the matter, we work on a contingency fee: our legal fee is a percentage of what is recovered, confirmed in a written retainer before we begin, and if nothing is recovered there is no legal fee. Court filing fees and case expenses are separate and are explained in the retainer.
Languages
We speak English, Russian and Spanish in-house. We arrange live interpretation for other languages. Tell us in the form which language you want the conversation to happen in.
If a criminal charge is pending
Talk to your defense lawyer before you describe the arrest to anyone, including us. We coordinate with defense counsel on every case where a charge is open, we do not take a statement without them, and we will protect the civil deadline without adding anything to the criminal file. Nothing you enter in the deadline tool leaves your browser.
