Bergen County Criminal Lawyer

Bergen County Criminal Defense Lawyers | Hackensack Superior Court Attorneys

So your probably sitting in Bergen County Jail right now or maybe your out on bail but scared out of your mind because you got arrested in Paramus, Fort Lee, or one of the other 70 municipalities in Bergen County. Maybe the cops pulled you over on Route 17 and “smelled marijuana.” Maybe someone called 911 and now your facing domestic violence charges. Or maybe your kid got arrested and your trying to figure out what the hell to do next. Look, we get it. Your ABSOLUTELY TERRIFIED. And honestly? You should be! Because Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office doesn’t mess around – they prosecute over 15,000 cases a year at Bergen County Superior Court in Hackensack!

What Happens When You Get Arrested in Bergen County?

Let me tell you exactly what’s happening right now. After your arrested anywhere in Bergen County – whether its Teaneck, Englewood, Fair Lawn, doesn’t matter – the Bergen County Sheriff takes over. There gonna transport you to Bergen County Jail in Hackensack for processing. Your looking at fingerprinting, mugshots, the whole humiliating process. Then comes the worst part – waiting to see if your getting bail or if the prosecutor files a detention motion to keep you locked up. Here’s what alot of people don’t realize: since New Jersey’s bail reform in 2017, judges can hold you WITHOUT ANY BAIL if they think your a flight risk or danger to the community. That means you could sit in jail for MONTHS waiting for trial! We’ve seen clients held for over a year before there case even gets to court. The prosecutors know this gives them incredible leverage – they’ll offer you a plea deal just to get out, even if your innocent. The whole arrest process is designed to break you down. From the moment those cuffs go on, everything is about making you feel powerless. But here’s the thing – your not powerless if you know the system and have someone who knows how to fight it.

How Much Is Bail in Bergen County Superior Court?

Want to know something that’ll make your blood boil? Even though New Jersey supposedly reformed bail in 2017, Bergen County judges still set INSANE bail amounts for serious charges. We’re talking $100,000 to $750,000 for things like drug distribution or aggravated assault. Some judges in Hackensack are notorious for setting million-dollar bails! According to Bergen County Sheriff’s Office, you can only post bail with cash or cashier’s checks – NO personal checks, NO credit cards. And get this – if you want to post bail after court hours, you have to go to the county jail with CASH ONLY. Who has $100,000 in cash laying around? Its basically designed to keep people locked up. The really disgusting part? The prosecutor gets to argue against your release at a detention hearing within 48 hours. They’ll claim your a “danger to the community” or might not show up for court. Meanwhile, your sitting in a cage, losing your job, your apartment, maybe your kids are going into foster care. The system is COMPLETELY RIGGED against defendants!

What’s the Difference Between Municipal Court and Superior Court?

This is super important to understand because it determines everything about your case. Municipal courts in Bergen County handle the small stuff – traffic tickets, disorderly persons offenses (like simple assault or shoplifting under $200), local ordinance violations. Those judges can only sentence you to maximum 6 months in county jail. But if your charged with an indictable offense (what other states call felonies) – ANY crime of the first, second, third, or fourth degree – your case goes straight to Bergen County Superior Court. That means your facing REAL prison time, not county jail. We’re talking potentially decades in state prison, not months. Here’s what makes it even worse: once your case is at Superior Court, it goes through the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office with there 200+ assistant prosecutors. These aren’t part-time municipal prosecutors – these are full-time, experienced prosecutors who do nothing but try to convict people all day, every day. There not interested in justice – there interested in conviction rates.

Which Bergen County Judges Are Toughest on Defendants?

Look, we can’t name specific judges here for obvious reasons, but let me tell you – the assignment of your judge can literally be the difference between probation and prison. Bergen County Criminal Division has 15 judges, and they all have different tendancies. Some are known for being “defendant-friendly” on drug cases. Others are absolute nightmares who give maximum sentences on everything. We’ve been practicing in Bergen County Superior Court for 40 years, so we know exactly which judges are tough on domestic violence, which ones hate drug cases, which ones will consider treatment programs instead of prison. Your public defender who handles 200 cases? They don’t have time to know these details. They’re just trying to get through there caseload. The prosecutor’s office knows this too. They know which judges will approve there PTI objections, which ones will allow harsh bail conditions, which ones will sentence consecutively instead of concurrently. If you don’t have an attorney who knows these patterns, your going in blind. Its like playing poker when everyone else can see your cards.

Can You Get PTI (Pretrial Intervention) in Bergen County?

Everyone asks about PTI because its basically a get-out-of-jail-free card – complete the program and charges get dismissed. But here’s what they don’t tell you: Bergen County has one of the HIGHEST PTI REJECTION RATES in New Jersey! They reject over 40% of applications, way higher than the state average. The PTI program is technically available for third and fourth-degree crimes, sometimes even second-degree if your really lucky. But Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office has there own internal policies that are WAY stricter than the law requires. They automatically oppose PTI for any domestic violence with injury. They require drug treatment BEFORE they’ll even consider PTI for drug cases. Got a prior arrest, even if it was dismissed? They’ll file an objection. We know which assistant prosecutors handle PTI applications and what arguments work with them. We know when to apply (timing matters!), how to present mitigation evidence, and most importantly – how to appeal when they inevitably reject the first application. Because that’s what they do – reject first, negotiate later. Its all about wearing you down until you take a guilty plea.

What Are the Mandatory Minimum Sentences in Bergen County?

This is where things get REALLY scary. New Jersey has some of the harshest mandatory minimum sentences in the country, and Bergen County prosecutors LOVE using them. Let me break down what your really facing: If your charged under the Graves Act for ANY gun crime – even just possession – your looking at MINIMUM 3 years in state prison before your even eligible for parole. The judge can’t give you less even if they want to. Doesn’t matter if its your first offense, if your a single parent, if you need the gun for protection in a dangerous neighborhood. Three years minimum, period. Got caught with drugs near a school (which is basically everywhere in Bergen County)? That’s a mandatory minimum that doubles your sentence. Violence crime? The No Early Release Act means you serve 85% of your sentence – no good behavior credits, no early parole, nothing. Public corruption charges for government employees? Mandatory minimums starting at 1 year for fourth-degree, all the way up to 10 YEARS for first-degree! These aren’t suggestions – these are MANDATORY. The judge has zero discretion. We’ve seen judges literally apologize to defendants while sentencing them because there hands are tied by these insane laws.

How Long Do Bergen County Cases Take to Resolve?

Want to know the truth nobody tells you? Bergen County Superior Court has one of the worst case backlogs in New Jersey. Your looking at MINIMUM 12-18 months from arrest to trial, sometimes over 2 years if its complex. And that whole time, if you can’t make bail, your sitting in Bergen County Jail. Think about what that means. Even if your completely innocent, you might spend over a year in jail waiting to prove it. Your job? Gone. Your apartment? Evicted. Your relationships? Destroyed. By the time your trial comes around, you’ve already lost everything. That’s why 95% of cases end in plea deals – people just want out of jail, even if there innocent. The prosecutor knows this timeline works in there favor. They’ll drag things out with discovery delays, motion practice, pretrial conferences. Every month your in jail is another month of pressure to take whatever deal there offering. Meanwhile, evidence gets stale, witnesses disappear or forget details, surveillance videos get deleted. Time is NOT on your side in the criminal justice system.

Why Does Local Bergen County Experience Matter?

Let me tell you something – hiring some big-shot Manhattan lawyer who “also practices in New Jersey” is the WORST mistake you can make. Bergen County isn’t Newark, it isn’t Camden, it sure as hell isn’t New York. We have our own judges, our own prosecutors, our own way of doing things. An outsider doesn’t know that Judge X always sides with cops on search issues, or that Prosecutor Y will negotiate on drug weight but never on distribution charges. We’ve been in Bergen County Superior Court every single week for 40 years. We know the security guards, the clerks, the court reporters. When we walk into that courtroom, everyone knows we’re not there to waste time – we’re there to fight. The prosecutors know we’ll actually go to trial instead of just pushing our clients to take plea deals. That reputation matters when your trying to negotiate. Plus, Bergen County juries are unique. A drug case that might get sympathy in Essex County gets a conviction in Bergen. Arguments that work with a Teaneck jury fail completely with an Alpine jury. You need someone who’s picked hundreds of Bergen County juries, who knows which demographics to look for, what questions to ask during voir dire. Some out-of-town lawyer reading from a generic trial handbook? Your gonna lose.

What Should You Do If Your Family Member Was Arrested?

If someone you love got arrested in Bergen County, your probably panicking right now. First thing – DO NOT try to talk to them about the case on jail phones! Every single call is recorded and will be used as evidence. The prosecutors literally have staff who’s only job is listening to jail calls looking for admissions. Here’s what you need to do RIGHT NOW. Get them a lawyer before they talk to ANYONE – not the cops, not cellmates, not even family about details of the case. Those “friendly” cellmates? Half of them are snitches trying to get there own sentences reduced. Contact Bergen County Jail about visiting hours and bail procedures. Start gathering character letters, employment verification, anything that shows community ties for the bail hearing. The first 48 hours are absolutely critical. That’s when the detention hearing happens, when bail gets set, when your loved one is most vulnerable to making statements that’ll destroy there case. Every hour without a lawyer is an hour the prosecution is building there case while your family member sits there defenseless. We offer 24/7 availability because arrests don’t happen on a schedule – when Bergen County Sheriff’s deputies knock on your door at 3 AM, you need help immediately.

Why Choose Spodek Law Group for Bergen County Cases?

Look, we’re not gonna sugarcoat this – Bergen County criminal cases are brutal. The prosecutors are aggressive, the judges can be harsh, and the mandatory minimums are destroying peoples lives every single day. Alot of attorneys just want the easy plea bargain so they can move on to the next case. They’ll tell you to take the deal because “its the best you can get” without even fighting. That’s not how we operate. We’ve been fighting in Bergen County Superior Court since before many of these prosecutors were even born. Todd Spodek has tried cases in front of judges who’ve retired and judges who just got appointed. We know every trick the prosecutor’s office uses – the overcharging to force pleas, the bail arguments to keep you locked up, the discovery games to hide exculpatory evidence. When we take your case, we start investigating immediately. Not next week, not after the indictment – RIGHT NOW. Evidence disappears, witnesses move, memories fade. We file aggressive motions to suppress evidence while its still fresh. We challenge probable cause, attack search warrants, dispute drug weights, investigate officer credibility. We actually prepare for trial instead of just assuming you’ll take a plea. We treat every client like family because we understand your whole life is on the line. Your freedom, your reputation, your ability to work, your family’s stability – it all depends on what happens in that Hackensack courtroom. The prosecutors have unlimited resources and all the time in the world. You need someone who’ll match there intensity and fight just as hard for your freedom.

Call us RIGHT NOW at 212-300-5196
We answer 24/7 because Bergen County arrests happen at ALL hours!
Your fighting against 200+ prosecutors – you NEED us!

Don’t wait another minute! Every second your not represented is a second the prosecution is building there case against you. The Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office has investigators working RIGHT NOW to convict you. There not waiting for business hours. There not taking weekends off. Neither should your defense! Whether your sitting in Bergen County Jail or out on bail, whether its your first arrest or you have a record, whether your innocent or made a mistake – we’ll fight harder than any other firm to protect your freedom. Because we know what your really up against in Bergen County, and we know how to beat them at there own game.

Disclaimer: Past results don’t guarantee future outcomes and every case is different. But one things for certain – going into Bergen County Superior Court without experienced local counsel is like bringing a knife to a gunfight. Don’t risk your freedom on an attorney who doesn’t know Bergen County’s judges, prosecutors, and procedures inside and out.