Firm Overview
Marc Fernich is a Manhattan attorney with almost 30 years’ experience. His practice centers on criminal defense, mainly sophisticated appeals and legal motions that can toss charges at the trial level or pave the way for future appeals.
Modern criminal work is very different from its public perception. Until the mid-1980s, simple and straightforward accusations lodged by state and local prosecutors – murder, assault, rape, theft, drug dealing – dominated the field.
But times and the law have changed, leaving those days behind. Largely displacing them is a complex web of federal statutes that touch nearly every aspect of our personal and professional lives.
These intricate and obscure restrictions carry long prison sentences and stiff monetary sanctions. Violations, if proved, can have severe and lasting consequences. In this hypertechnical climate, cases are fought and won more on persuasive papers and less on trial theatrics.
Fernich cut his legal teeth in this intense regulatory environment, and his practice fits it well. A compulsive reader, he studies each major criminal decision handed down by the U.S. Supreme Court, the federal appeals court in Manhattan and New York’s top court, the Court of Appeals.
His resulting mastery of precedent enables Fernich to construct subtle, novel and creative arguments that other attorneys may miss. These arguments can make potential winners out of seemingly hopeless cases, spelling the difference between victory and defeat.
In fact, other attorneys often hire Fernich for legal assistance in their most complicated and challenging matters. His pride of authorship and commitment to excellence – manifested in exhaustive research, intensive preparation and meticulous attention to detail – ensure superior written and oral advocacy in all of Fernich’s representations, big and small. Together, these strengths set Fernich apart and maximize clients’ chances to prevail.
A graduate of Northwestern University School of Law, Fernich has written and argued dozens of appeals in courts across the country – among them the U.S. Supreme Court and the New York Court of Appeals – posting an admirable record of success. His diverse clientele – prominent and lesser-known alike – includes individuals and corporations implicated in a broad range of crimes, from business, professional and financial wrongs to offenses involving violence, narcotics and racketeering.
Named a New York-Metro Super Lawyer since 2009, and ranked “AV” preeminent by the Martindale-Hubbell attorney rating firm, Fernich teaches appellate advoacy at Pace and Brooklyn law schools and serves as a director for the New York State Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers. In the latter capacity, he co-chairs a friend-of-court committee that files public interest briefs on issues of concern to the criminal defense bar at large.
A frequent author and lecturer on criminal justice topics, Fernich regularly appears in the media as an expert legal commentator. Aside from handling criminal appeals and motions, he also maintains active civil and trial practices.
