Passaic County Criminal Defense Lawyers — Serving Paterson and All 16 Passaic Municipalities

Passaic County criminal defense attorney — Avery & Avery Indictable, disorderly persons, and federal-court criminal defense across all 16 Passaic court

New Jersey Code of Criminal Justice — N.J.S.A. Title 2C

The general purposes of the provisions governing the definition of offenses are: (1) To forbid, prevent, and condemn conduct that unjustifiably and inexcusably inflicts or threatens serious harm to individual or public interests; (2) To insure the public safety by preventing the commission of offenses through the deterrent influence of the sentences authorized, the rehabilitation of those convicted, and their confinement when required in the interests of public protection … — N.J.S.A. 2C:1-2(a)(1)–(2).

Statute text reproduced for educational reference. Verify against the official New Jersey Legislature publication before relying on any citation in legal proceedings.

Also in Criminal Defense

A Former Judge. A Father-Son Trial Firm. Fifty Years of New Jersey Practice.

Passaic County criminal matters split between municipal court (disorderly persons offenses, ordinance violations, traffic-criminal hybrids like reckless driving) and Passaic County Superior Court for indictable charges. Avery & Avery, Esqs. is a Paterson- and Ridgefield-anchored trial firm covering the full Title 2C docket in Passaic County — disorderly persons (DP), petty disorderly persons (PDP), indictable charges (third-degree and above), and federal-court referrals.

The firm’s roots in New Jersey criminal practice run fifty years. Robert W. Avery practiced criminal law in NJ before being appointed to the Ridgefield Municipal Court bench in 1986; he served as Judge through 2000. John S. Avery joined the firm in 2012 and carries the bulk of courtroom appearances today across Passaic, Bergen, Hudson, Essex, Passaic, Morris, and Sussex.

For a free first consultation on a Passaic County criminal matter, call (201) 943-2445 — same-day callbacks for arrest situations.

Passaic County in detail. Passaic County’s 16 municipalities — including Paterson, Clifton, Passaic City, Wayne, and Hawthorne — funnel matters through the Passaic County Superior Court complex at 77 Hamilton Street in Paterson. Routes 3, 21, 46, and 80 produce dense Title 39 traffic into Paterson and Clifton municipal calendars.

Criminal-defense practice in this county runs from disorderly-persons charges in municipal court through indictable matters in the County Superior Court — Criminal Division.

Passaic municipal calendars frequently require navigating settlement-room delays before reaching the bench — a pattern Avery & Avery anticipates with a pre-staged file.

Where Passaic Criminal Cases Are Heard

Municipal Court — Disorderly Persons + Petty DP

Charges classified as disorderly persons (DP, max 6 months county jail, max $1,000 fine) and petty disorderly persons (PDP, max 30 days, max $500) stay at the municipal court of the municipality of the alleged offense. Passaic County operates 16 municipal courts. Indictable matters from any of Passaic County’s 16 municipalities route to Passaic County Superior Court — Criminal Division at Passaic County Court House, 77 Hamilton Street, Paterson, NJ 07505.

Passaic County Superior Court — Indictable Matters

Third-degree and above (and most fourth-degree) Title 2C charges route to Passaic County Superior Court at Passaic County Court House, 77 Hamilton Street, Paterson, NJ 07505. The Passaic Vicinage (Vicinage 11) runs the criminal calendar; Camelia Valdes leads the prosecution. PTI applications under N.J.S.A. 2C:43-12 route through the Prosecutor’s Office.

Federal Court — District of New Jersey

Federal-charge Passaic matters route to the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey (Newark vicinage). Avery & Avery appeared in the Third Circuit on Delvoye v. Lee, 329 F.3d 330 (3d Cir. 2003) — a federal Hague Convention international-custody matter.

Title 2C Charges We Handle in Passaic

Drug possession under N.J.S.A. 2C:35-10 — third-degree CDS, PWID, conditional discharge eligibility for first-time municipal cases
Simple assault under N.J.S.A. 2C:12-1(a) — DP at municipal court; aggravated assault to Superior Court under 2C:12-1(b)
Theft under N.J.S.A. 2C:20-3 et seq. — degree by amount; DP under $200; third- through second-degree by escalating value
Burglary under N.J.S.A. 2C:18-2 — third-degree default
Robbery under N.J.S.A. 2C:15-1 — second-degree default; first-degree if armed
Sex offenses under N.J.S.A. 2C:14-1 et seq. — Megan’s Law registration consequences route through Passaic County
Domestic-violence offenses routed through municipal-court TROs (after-hours) and Passaic Family Part for FROs under N.J.S.A. 2C:25-17

Diversionary Programs in Passaic

Pretrial Intervention (PTI) — N.J.S.A. 2C:43-12 — first-offense diversion for indictable matters
Conditional Discharge — N.J.S.A. 2C:36A-1 — first-offense disposition for municipal-court drug cases
Conditional Dismissal — N.J.S.A. 2C:43-13.1 et seq. — first-offense disposition for non-drug DP/PDP at municipal court
Veterans Diversion Program — for eligible Passaic veterans
Drug Court / Recovery Court — for qualifying Passaic drug offenders

Why Avery & Avery for Passaic Criminal Defense

Former NJ Municipal Court Judge. Robert’s fifteen years on the bench mean we read prosecutorial offers and judicial tendencies with the lens of someone who sat where the judge now sits.

Active trial practice across all of North NJ. Federal-precedent case (Delvoye v. Lee) plus current municipal- and Superior-Court calendars across six counties.

Father-son continuity. Two attorneys, two generations, one office. Robert and John frequently appear together on serious matters; you get both, not a junior associate handed the file.

Schedule a Free Passaic County Criminal Consultation

Call (201) 943-2445 or submit through the form.

Frequently asked questions

General educational answers. Every matter has facts that change the analysis — for advice on your situation, call the firm.

What is the difference between an indictable offense and a disorderly persons offense in New Jersey?

Indictable offenses (felonies in most other jurisdictions) are charged in Superior Court — Law Division, Criminal Part — and carry potential state-prison exposure. Disorderly persons offenses are charged in municipal court and carry up to six months in county jail. The forum, discovery rules, and sentencing exposure differ substantially. Robert and John handle both.

Should I talk to police before I have a lawyer?

No. You have the right to remain silent under the Fifth Amendment and Article I, Paragraph 10 of the New Jersey Constitution. Politely tell officers you want to speak with a lawyer before answering any questions, then call us. Anything you say can be used at trial.

How does Pretrial Intervention (PTI) work in New Jersey?

PTI is a diversionary program for first-time offenders charged with indictable offenses (R. 3:28). Successful completion typically results in dismissal. Eligibility is governed by N.J.S.A. 2C:43-12 and the Guidelines for Operation of Pretrial Intervention. We evaluate PTI eligibility at the first consultation.

Can my conviction be expunged?

New Jersey expungement law (N.J.S.A. 2C:52-1 et seq.) was substantially expanded in 2019. The standard waiting periods are now five years for most indictable offenses (N.J.S.A. 2C:52-2) and disorderly persons offenses (N.J.S.A. 2C:52-3), with an early-pathway option as short as four years on a public-interest showing. The "clean slate" provision (N.J.S.A. 2C:52-5.3) reaches all of an applicant's convictions at once — including multiples that would otherwise disqualify a standard expungement — but requires a longer ten-year waiting period from the most recent conviction. We evaluate the appropriate pathway at the first consultation.

Do you handle federal criminal cases?

Yes. The firm appears in the District of New Jersey and the Third Circuit Court of Appeals. Federal practice differs materially from state practice — Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure, the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, and the U.S. Attorney's charging discretion all change the calculus.