Amber Forrester
When Experience MattersWhen your liberty and livelihood are on the line, experience matters. My philosophy is that any person—regardless of age, upbringing, education, occupation, or life experience—is capable of making a mistake. Perhaps you’re visiting this page because you or someone you love has made a mistake. Perhaps the person accusing you of an offense has. I have helped thousands of people facing charges from minor theft offenses to homicide indictments. I’m used to meeting people on their worst day, and it’s always my goal to improve my client’s outlook. Things immediately look a little brighter when you have someone knowledgeable in your corner and that’s just one of many reasons that time is of the essence in securing representation. Believe it or not, there are only 6 possible defenses to a criminal case—call me and we can discuss which scenario matches your situation. When experience matters, make your very best choice for criminal defense: Amber L. Forrester.
- Rutgers University - Camden
- J.D. (2007)
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- College of William and Mary
- B.S. (2004)
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- Assistant Deputy Public Defender
- New Jersey Office of the Public Defender
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- Law Clerk to the Honorable F. Patrick McManimon, J.S.C.
- New Jersey Superior Court
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- Certified Criminal Trial Attorney
- The Supreme Court of New Jersey
- State Bar of New Jersey # 009612008
- Member
- Current
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- New Jersey
- New Jersey Courts
- ID Number: 009612008
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- Free Consultation
- Credit Cards Accepted
- Criminal Law
- Criminal Appeals, Drug Crimes, Expungement, Fraud, Gun Crimes, Internet Crimes, Sex Crimes, Theft, Violent Crimes
- English
- Q. My daughter was detained at the Newark Airport for unknowingly violating N.J.S. 2c:39-3e. She has no criminal record.
- A: While her lack of record makes her eligible to apply for the Pre-Trial Intervention program, if accepted that potential dismissal will take a minimum of 12 and maximum of 36 months and require at least some effort from her. Just having a pending charge in the event of a background check may be problematic for her licensure. The case could potentially be downgraded to municipal court as well, but again, there could be ramifications for even a non-felony resolution. Criminal cases are always dependent on a number of variables including the prosecutor, (who has discretion in terms of PTI acceptance among other things) and the actual facts in evidence. The best thing she can do is to get an attorney involved to try to resolve the matter in the most beneficial way possible—it’s very unlikely that the matter gets dismissed outright without at least some discovery being reviewed and picked apart by counsel, and getting a seasoned lawyer involved sooner than later is a smart step in that direction.
- Q. What to do if you are incarcerated for stealing a street bike you did not steal however you were pulled over riding on?
- A: From your post, it’s unclear whether this took place in New Jersey or Maryland, but regardless of where, it’s important that your boyfriend has qualified legal counsel. In NJ, a critical element of the crime of Receiving Stolen Property [meaning something that the State needs to prove beyond a reasonable doubt] is whether the accused had reason to know that the property was stolen. An experienced criminal defense lawyer will be able not only to explain the possible resolutions to the matter while simultaneously working to persuade the State of his innocence. The best advice is to immediately seek an attorney who is particularly versed in this area of law. Good luck!
- Q. If I’m convicted of simple assault and harassment in New Jersey, can I obtain a permit to purchase firearm?
- A: There are a number of NJ felony convictions that will prevent a person from being able to legally own a firearm thereafter. The particular offenses you reference, however, are disorderly persons offenses (called misdemeanors in many other states) which in general do not prohibit someone from obtaining a FID or permit UNLESS those offenses involve domestic violence. So in the situation you describe, it would depend on who the victim of the simple assault and harassment was and that person's relationship to you. If that person's relationship to you is one covered by the Prevention of Domestic Violence Act of 1991 (2C:25-17), you would be prohibited from legally obtaining or owning a firearm.