Kramer Levin Obtains Pre-Trial Release for Client as Part of the Firm’s Bail Reform Project Efforts

Kramer Levin obtained the pre-trial release of an indigent defendant on an unsecured bond in Kings County Supreme Court as part of the firm’s ongoing efforts in the Bail Reform Project in partnership with the Brooklyn Defender Services. The defendant had previously been detained, as he was unable to post a $30,000 insurance company bail-bond or the cash amount set by the Court. Kramer Levin successfully argued that the defendant’s lack of prior criminal history, strong character, and community ties, and the relative lack of evidence against him should favor his release pending trial on an unsecured bond, which did not require the defendant or his family to pay any money to the court up front. Unsecured bonds are regularly used to obtain pretrial release in federal court, but very rarely used in New York state courts, notwithstanding that New York’s bail statute authorizes their use.