Jeffrey Harris Lichtman

Recently described in the media as a "legendary New York criminal defense attorney," Jeffrey Lichtman has successfully handled criminal trials and appeals on some of the country's largest stages. His clients include those charged in the federal and state systems with white collar and non-white collar offenses. For over 30 years, Mr. Lichtman's practice style has been marked by exhaustive pretrial preparation and smothering pressure inside the courtroom. His cross-examinations, in fact, have been described in the media during the John Gotti, Jr. trial as a "relentless pounding" in which witnesses were "put through the blender and shredded." The Gotti trial ended with the dismissal of three murder conspiracy charges, an acquittal on a $25 million securities fraud charge, and a deadlocked jury on every remaining count. The media described the verdict as an "unbelievable courtroom upset" and Mr. Lichtman's work as "brilliant." In the recent high-profile Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman trial lasting 3 1/2 months, Mr. Lichtman's work was described by the media as "an astonishing performance" and "so wildly entertaining."

A 1990 graduate of Duke University School of Law, Mr. Lichtman opened his own law firm in 1999.  Recent clients include Assistant USC basketball coach Tony Bland, Emma Coronel, rappers Fat Joe and The Game, the alleged Boss of the Colombo Family Andrew Russo,  Olympians, judges, doctors, lawyers, politicians, and countless others.  Mr. Lichtman practices primarily in the federal and state courts of New York. Beyond New York, Mr. Lichtman handles state and federal cases, appeals and investigations throughout the country, recently in Alabama, California, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Massachusetts, New Jersey, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, South Carolina and Virgina.  His clients include those charged with white collar and non-white collar offenses, such as RICO violations, narcotics offenses, money laundering, securities fraud, health care fraud, tax evasion and murder and murder conspiracy. Many of his cases and clients are internationally known and have been featured prominently in the media.

Mr. Lichtman's appellate practice has also had great success. In September of 2010, he won the freedom for a client who had been convicted and sentenced to 27 years in prison for multiple counts of sexual assault of four alleged victims. After his appeal to the New Jersey Appellate Division forced the trial court to grant a hearing on trial counsel's possible ineffectiveness, Mr. Lichtman's scathing examination of trial counsel was halted by the judge -- who indicated she was prepared to vacate the conviction on the spot. With his conviction vacated, Mr. Lichtman's client was released days later -- never to return to prison. The judge thanked Mr. Lichtman for his "terrific preparation."

Mr. Lichtman has also successfully won the pretrial dismissal of dozens of New York state and federal criminal cases based on motion practice and his own intensive investigations. In cases which have ended in plea bargains or convictions, Mr. Lichtman has won countless downward departures and downward variances from sentencing judges on a variety of different grounds. Beyond criminal litigation, Mr. Lichtman also represents individuals and broker-dealers charged with securities violations by the SEC.  

In 2015, Mr. Lichtman's office began representing individuals on Civil Rights/police misconduct issues as well as on sexual harassment and discrimination claims -- and in just a short period of time Mr. Lichtman has garnered multiple millions of dollars of settlemens for women sexually harassed in the workplace, and was selected as a member of the Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum.  In 2021, Mr. Lichtman's office secured a jury verdict for battery for a woman infected with Herpes Simplex Virus 2 (HSV-2).

Mr. Lichtman has received the highest rating (AV) from the Martindale-Hubbell Legal Directory -- and is one of just a handful of Manhattan criminal defense attorneys to be recognized in the Bar Register of Preeminent Lawyers. Mr. Lichtman has also been selected as a New York City Super Lawyer for being a leader in his field of criminal defense. These ratings reflect the confidential opinions of bar members and the judiciary. A member of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers and the New York State Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, Mr. Lichtman is a frequent lecturer at law schools throughout the country on topics relating to criminal law. He has also recently been featured in People and Newsweek magazines and was profiled in the New York Daily News, New York magazine, and in The New York Times as part of the "Public Lives" series.