Michael Schillinger, Esq.

My name is Mike Schillinger and I’m a criminal defense attorney that practices in New York City and Long Island. I mainly practice Criminal Defense and Traffic Law, and I handle everything from traffic violations and misdemeanors, to serious violent felonies. My clients come from all walks of life, and I truly enjoy helping people through some of the most difficult periods of their lives.

I’ve always had a passion for helping people and have spent my entire career serving the public. In fact, while earning my Bachelor of Science degree in legal studies at St. John’s University, I worked as a Congressional caseworker for a United States Congressman on Long Island. I spent about eight years in that position and handled all sorts of cases, including Immigration, Veteran’s Affairs, IRS and tax issues, as well as many other types of federal cases. During that time, I had the privilege of helping people who had nowhere else to turn.

While still working for the Congressman, I continued my education at St. John’s University School of Law. It was there that I realized my desire to help people extended to Criminal and Constitutional Law. I knew that I wanted to help protect the rights of my clients, to fight for them at trial, and to ensure that all their rights under the U.S. Constitution were upheld.

During law school, I also spent a lot of time participating in mock trials, mock litigation, and various tournaments throughout the country. While not a real trial, such “trial” practice prepared me for the real legal work I have done following law school. Some highlights of my participation in these tournaments included taking second place in New York State in the National Trial Lawyer’s Competition, as well as second place in the American Bar Association Competition where I competed against schools from across the country.

Following law school, I took a position as an Assistant District Attorney at the Queens District Attorney’s Office. There, I handled everything from violations and misdemeanors, all the way up to serious violent felonies. While I can’t say exactly how many cases I handled as an ADA, I would probably say that the number ranges in the thousands, including gun cases, drug cases, serious violent felonies, sex offenses, and even some attempted murder cases, and kidnapping cases.

My time in the District Attorney’s office led me to private practice, where I’ve continued handling all different case types, ranging from misdemeanors to felonies, including serious sex offenses, gun cases, and murder cases. Using the experience that I’ve gained over the course of my career, I fight for my clients and ensure that their rights are protected every step of the way. I make sure that everyone that walks through my door gets the advocacy that they need, the compassion that they want, and the dedication to their case that they deserve.

I find that most of my clients are otherwise good people who have made a mistake or are being wrongfully accused. Although most people look at someone who has been charged with a crime as a bad person, the fact is that this is simply not the case. We’re all human beings and we all make mistakes. Because of that, when someone walks into my office, that’s exactly how we treat them – humanly.

I know some attorneys tend to treat people as if they’re just another number, another statistic, another file. That’s not the case when you walk into my office. My strategy is to humanize my clients when presenting their cases to the District Attorney’s Office. We’ll discuss things like my client’s background, where they’re from, what their family is like, where they work, where they went to school, and how they are active in the community. I use this information when negotiating the case with the District Attorney’s Office to help them understand that my clients are not just another file on their desk. I ensure that whenever I speak with the Assistant District Attorney on a case, they understand that my clients are real, genuine people in the community who have families, who work and contribute to our society, and who may have just made an error in judgment.

Knowing that a criminal charge is one of the most difficult situations my clients will face throughout their entire lives, I let each of them know – They are not alone. We will face and fight these charges together.

My background as a prosecutor gives me a unique perspective on the cases that come into my office. Sometimes people feel that I’ve “worked for the enemy,” and yes that’s true – I worked as an Assistant District Attorney. But that only serves to benefit my clients. My experience as a prosecutor helps me understand exactly what the other side is looking for. This allows me to anticipate the plea deal, know what the ADA wants to see, and gives my clients an edge at the negotiation table. I’m also familiar with the alternative sentencing programs that many other lawyers simply don’t know about. If it’s a situation where we’re talking about getting a client some sort of treatment, I’m familiar with the programs, with the community service process, the probation process and what options are available – and more importantly, I’m familiar with it from both sides of the aisle.

I also know how they’re going to handle their case when they take it to trial – what weaknesses to look for and what to cross-examine the cops and witnesses on. As a former prosecutor, I’ve done direct examinations with countless cops, criminalists, breathalyzer techs, analysts – you name it. I know what to look for as if I were the prosecutor, giving me an edge in finding the weaknesses in their case, and the upper hand at trial.