National Criminal Appeals is a New York firm exclusively dedicated to post-conviction relief, direct appeals, and federal habeas corpus. We take the cases others walk away from.
Appellate Division, Court of Appeals, and federal circuit court representation.
Post-conviction motions attacking wrongful convictions and illegal sentences.
Constitutional challenges before U.S. District Courts under 28 U.S.C. § 2254.
National Criminal Appeals is a New York firm built around a single mission: challenging convictions that should not stand. We do not handle trials. We do not practice general criminal defense. Every case file that comes through this firm is a post-conviction matter, handled by attorneys whose entire practice is dedicated to appellate work.
That focus is not incidental. It is the firm's structural advantage. Appellate advocacy is a discipline unto itself. It requires command of the record, mastery of constitutional doctrine, and the ability to reframe a trial court's rulings for a reviewing body that was not present. That is all we do.
Our clients are New York inmates, their families, and individuals who have exhausted their options at the trial level. If a conviction can be challenged, we will find the vehicle to challenge it.
About the FirmWe focus exclusively on three vehicles for post-conviction relief in New York state and federal courts.
We handle direct appeals in the New York Appellate Division and Court of Appeals, as well as appeals in the federal circuit courts. Our appellate briefs are record-driven and built around the strongest available legal theories, including constitutional claims, evidentiary error, and sentencing challenges.
Learn MoreCPL Article 440 provides New York inmates with a mechanism to challenge their conviction or sentence in the trial court based on facts outside the record. We identify and develop 440 motions targeting newly discovered evidence, ineffective assistance of counsel, Brady violations, and constitutional deprivations.
Learn MoreWhen state remedies are exhausted, federal habeas corpus under 28 U.S.C. Section 2254 provides a pathway to federal court review of constitutional violations. We handle habeas petitions before the United States District Courts, navigating the procedural requirements of AEDPA with precision.
Learn MoreNo trial work. No diversion. Every attorney and every resource is dedicated to post-conviction advocacy.
Every brief begins with a complete record review. Arguments are built on what is in the record, not what should have been.
Our lead attorney is a published author in the field, with three titles on New York post-conviction practice.
New York State and federal court admission. We practice in the courts where your matter needs to be heard.
Our lead attorney's publications are used by appellate practitioners, inmates, and families navigating New York's post-conviction system.
Profiles the seven New York inmates exonerated in 2025 after wrongful conviction. A forensic account of the post-conviction strategies that succeeded in each case.
Download PDF ↓A practitioner-oriented guide to CPL Article 440 motion practice in New York, covering grounds, procedure, and strategic considerations for post-conviction relief.
Download PDF ↓An in-depth treatment of the legal vehicles available to challenge sex-crime convictions in New York state and federal courts, including DNA, recantation, and constitutional grounds.
Download PDF ↓Post-conviction relief is difficult. We will give you an honest assessment of what your matter requires and what a realistic outcome looks like.