Practice Areas: Criminal Defense, DWI, Injury

What the Toner Law Firm does.

A Garden City practice built on two things: defending people charged with crimes in Nassau County, and recovering damages for people seriously injured on Long Island. James E. Toner has been trying cases for more than thirty years. Everything below is work the firm takes to court, not work it refers out.

One lawyer, on your case.

You are not handed to an associate you have never met. The lawyer you speak with at the consultation is the lawyer who appears for you.

That matters most in the two situations this firm sees constantly: a criminal case where the plea offer depends on whether the prosecution believes it will be tried, and an injury claim where the insurer's offer depends on whether it believes the file will ever reach a jury.

About James E. Toner

Does the firm handle cases outside Nassau County?

Yes. The practice is centered on Nassau County, where James Toner has appeared for over thirty years, but it extends across Long Island and the New York metropolitan area, and into the federal district courts for the Southern, Eastern and Northern Districts of New York, where he is admitted.

Can one firm really do both criminal defense and personal injury?

They are closer than they look. Both are decided by juries, both turn on evidence that has to be preserved early, and in both the other side's offer depends on whether it believes you can actually try the case. The trial skills transfer directly. What does not transfer is a lawyer who has never tried anything.

What if my situation involves more than one of these?

That is common and it is exactly where having one firm helps. A domestic incident can produce a criminal charge and a Family Court petition at once. A serious car accident can produce both an injury claim and a criminal charge. Handled separately by lawyers who do not speak to each other, the two cases can undermine each other.

How quickly should I call?

Sooner than feels necessary. In a criminal case the most consequential decisions happen in the first days, often before people have spoken to anyone. In an injury case, evidence disappears and some deadlines against public bodies run in days rather than years. The consultation costs nothing, so calling early costs you nothing either.