The Law Office of Richard C. Gordon
Skilled Litigator with a Legacy of Success: From Groundbreaking Civil Rights Cases to Vigorous Criminal Defense, Richard Gordon Delivers Results
About Gordon
Attorney Gordon is a skilled and experienced litigator sounding in civil rights matters. He has tried cases in federal courts and both civil and criminal matters in state courts. Richard has tried over thirty jury trials, in federal court and various state courts (civil and criminal), and he has won jury trials at both the civil and criminal bars. Richard has also been involved in various precedent setting cases relating to witness protection, national origin discrimination, telephonic warrants, and drug cases.
Attorney Gordon’s advocacy skills were first honed as an employment litigator concerning wrongful terminations, sexual harassment, discrimination based on race, sex, age, disability, and national origin. Criminal Defense, include Homicides, Robbery, Carjacking, Sexual Assault, Aggravated Assaults, Drug Offenses, Larceny, Simple Assault and Battery, Fraud among other areas. Police Misconduct including Wrongful Arrest, Malicious Prosecution, Excessive Force, and Police Killing.
Attorney Gordon has handled all aspects of pre-trial discovery, including taking and defending depositions of expert witnesses, percipient witnesses and clients. Richard has filed and successfully argued dispositive motions, in addition to preparing successful motions at all states of litigations and has negotiated settlements in mediations, settlement conferences and informal negotiations, reducing his clients’ litigation costs and providing favorable results.
EDUCATION
Touro College
Jacob D. Fuchsberg Law Center, Long Island, New York. Juris Doctor, 1999.
University of Hartford,
West Hartford, Connecticut.
Major: B.A. Economics
Dean’s List Minors: Political Science and Philosophy.
BAR MEMBERSHIPS AND ASSOCIATIONS
COURT ADMISSIONS
Supreme Court of The United States of America, Washington D.C.
Second Circuit Court of Appeals, New York, New York.
Third Circuit Court of Appeals, Philadelphia Pennsylvania.
Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals, Richmond Virginia.
United States District Court, District of New Jersey.
United States District Court, District of Connecticut.
Supreme Court of New Jersey. 2000
PRACTICE AREAS
1/ CIVIL RIGHTS
We have every right to expect those authorized to enforce the law to adhere to the law. Public safety and a legitimate judicial system depend on it. But we frequently hear of egregious cases of police misconduct of various types, which result in varying degrees of harm to victims, including civil rights violations and death, as evidenced by a growing number of high profile cases in the news. If you have fallen victim to any type of misconduct, it is vital to talk to an attorney who knows and understands police misconduct.
Police misconduct includes a range of unethical and illegal behaviors and violations of people’s constitutional rights while on the job. Examples include:
Excessive use of force.
Using torture in an attempt to force a confessions.
Sexual assault (e.g. sodomizing a suspect with a baton or other object; rape).
Demanding sexual favors as a quid pro quo for leniency.
Abuse of authority.
Fraud; lying.
Planting evidence to secure charges and convictions.
The Cato Institute, a prominent Washington D.C. think tank, in its National Police Misconduct Reporting Project, found that around one percent of the nation’s police officers commit misconduct in any given year, resulting in serious consequences to victims. Another study by the Wisconsin Innocence Project discovered that police misconduct was a factor in as many as half of all wrongful convictions that involved DNA evidence.
Civilian Complaint Review Board is an agency, when they exists, that is, at least in theory, independent of the police department and responsible for its oversight. Some CCRB has subpoena power and handles four categories of complaints against police officers:
Complaints of unnecessary or excessive use of force, including chokeholds, tasering, pepper spray, and any type of deadly force.
Abuse of authority, which is using the power of the office to intimidate or otherwise mistreat a civilian. This encompasses unlawful search and seizure, improper questioning or frisking without cause, improper strip searches, vehicle stops without probable cause, and more.
Discourtesy
Using obscene or offensive language
While having a civilian review board is important and sounds good in theory, in practice it is often ineffective. For instance, the New York Civil liberties Union (NYCLU) conducted a study that determined:
The CCRB has not been able to establish an effective investigative operation.
The CCRB has not been an effective advocate for reform in the police department to correct practices that place civilians at risk of harm.
The New York City Police Department undermines the CCRB’s oversight function by failing to cooperate in its investigations.
The NYPD ignores CCRB disciplinary findings and fails to implement its recommendations in a large majority of cases.
So how can citizens protect themselves from abuse and keep these types of police misconduct in check? The answer is to have an experienced, knowledgeable, and determined misconduct attorney representing you when you’ve become a victim of these inexcusable behaviors.
These are extremely difficult cases and require an aggressive pursuit of the truth. Standing up to a government agency as powerful as a police agency takes courage and commitment. But these cases can be won, and with the right lawyer, victims can and do succeed in holding the police accountable for their wrongful actions.
If you feel that a member of law enforcement has abused his or her authority or has harmed you or a member of your family through official misconduct, call the Law Office of Richrd Gordon. Richard brings to the table more than 25 years of legal experience as both a plaintiff, a former public defender and civil defense lawyer, so he knows the workings of the criminal justice system from both sides of the table. As a Police Brutality attorney, he is deeply committed to preserving the civil liberties that are guaranteed to us by the United States Constitution and is aggressive in the pursuit of justice for anyone who has been abused, victimized, or mistreated in any way by law enforcement officers.
It is important to make that call now, as these cases are subject to legal time limits called statutes of limitations on filing, and they require extensive investigation to lay the necessary groundwork and to prepare a thorough and persuasive legal case, so don’t delay.
2/ GENERAL CIVIL LITIGATION
5/ IMMIGRATION
Our team is known for enthusiastically taking on the cases that other lawyers turn down. When we believe an injustice is being done, we are prepared to fight for our clients — in federal court, if necessary. Because of our reputation in immigration law, other immigration attorneys often refer difficult cases to us.
Our work is not limited to the administrative process of immigration. While we eagerly help individuals and families understand the process of obtaining citizenship, we consider complex cases to be the strongpoint of our practice. We have argued immigration appeals to the Board of Immigration Appeals, which allows us to advise our clients of the full range of options available to them:
Adjustment of status
Asylum
Available types of visas
Immigration Consequences to Criminal Convictions
Waivers
Removal defense
“Crimmigration” is where criminal law and immigration law are connected to each other. Richard Gordon has over 25 years of experience counseling non-citizens and lawyers on the immigration consequences of criminal convictions and alleged criminal conduct. The immigration consequences of criminal conduct can be quite severe and often illogical. Sometimes a minor criminal matter can result in detention without bail, deportation and removal, inadmissibility (not eligible to enter or return to the U.S.) as well as denial of a green card or citizenship. Non-citizens facing a criminal matter or with past criminal issues should know and understand how that criminal history affects them. We offer full-service representation in such cases and can give a detailed legal opinion regarding the immigration consequences of a non-citizen’s criminal history.
Post-Conviction Relief (PCR) refers to motions that may lead to overturning a conviction, changing the plea or modifying a sentence. Once the immigration consequences are known, a strategy may be employed seeking post-conviction relief to change or modify that conviction. Such changes to a conviction sometimes result in less or no immigration consequences. Some states permit former defendants to withdraw a plea or attack a conviction at any time based upon a defect in the proceedings or ineffective assistance of the former lawyer. Sometimes that defect or ineffective assistance of counsel was that the defendant never knew the immigration consequences of that plea.
At the Law Office of Richard Gordon, we know what you are going through, and we want to help, whether you want to know about the different types of visas or need to prevent deportation. We will explain what is happening at every phase of your case in clear, understandable language and address your expectations and concerns.
With more than two decades of immigration law experience, we do not limit ourselves to mainline approaches. Instead, we evaluate your full array of options and use our in-depth, practical knowledge of the system to get results even if another lawyer cannot help you. Our thorough understanding of immigration procedures — both official and unofficial — allow us to more effectively help our clients navigate the process and avoid many of the problems that can otherwise occur.
CONTACT ATTORNEYS WHO UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU ARE EXPERIENCING
We at Richard Gordon understand how stressful and confusing the immigration process can be, so we take special care to keep you informed and comfortable. Contact us today at 860-534-0547 or online for creative solutions to your immigration problems.
