Rubin M. Sinins
Criminal Defense Law - Newark, NJ

All my life I've been interested in our civil rights and the reach of government authority. So being a criminal defense lawyer has come fairly naturally to me. I enjoy putting the state through its proofs. I'm very passionate about it. It feels very good to do it well, for all my clients. And these days I have a lot of different types of clients.

When you get into the courtroom, a trial is fundamentally a battle of wits. When witnesses take the stand they can weave a very compelling story - and the story is how they want things to come across. And of course it's not necessarily accurate.

That's why I love the process of cross examination. It's really the key to being effective in the courtroom. There's more to it of course, but effective cross-examination is where it all begins. In criminal cases, you often don't see a witness until that day in court - so it's a huge challenge. And when you succeed at it, there's nothing better.

Still, you'd better be able to deliver to a judge or jury a credible alternative version of events. That's part of the job too.

I explain all of that to my new clients, or to anyone facing serious criminal charges. Whether you retain me or not, I want people to come away a little more at ease. A lot of the process - an investigation, the charges themselves - people often don't understand. I want to help calm people down.

I have a lot of trial experience. But I'm not trying to be someone I'm not -- I don't pretend to be F. Lee Bailey or Ted Wells. And I know I don't come across as Joe Six Pack either. I'm not prone to theatrics. It's my work, and I don't delegate. I'm very straightforward, and pride myself on being very credible with courts and juries.

I've been fortunate - I got involved early in internet and technology issues. Issues such as anonymous speech on the internet, and privacy rights in our digital age. Recently I argued a New Jersey Supreme Court case, which establishes state constitutional protection for information held by internet service providers. New Jersey now has the strongest protections in the country - and we still have a long way to go.

Sometimes, at speaking engagements or interviews, I'm asked: How do you sleep at night doing what you do? How can you defend guilty people? Because I believe in our criminal justice system. Professionally, I don't care terribly much what a person did - it's my job to defend you against the state's power.

When I was younger I handled more blue-collar crimes - but over the years I've come to represent people charged with much more complex non-violent crimes, such as mortgage fraud, health care fraud, and insurance and banking fraud. These types of cases are more protracted and complicated - but as a result I handle fewer trials. I work hard to ensure there isn't one, that the state doesn't bring any indictments.

My brother, father and I practiced together for many years. Then we teamed up with the Javerbaum Wurgaft team - best decision we ever made. They are super people and exceptional lawyers. Every young lawyer should have mentors like my partners.

I feel as though we have a great group, the best concentration of trial talent for a relatively small firm, in the state. And like everyone here I love what I do. I'm good at it, and with any luck I'll be doing it a long time.

Rubin M. Sinins
"I'm very straightforward, and pride myself on being very credible with courts and juries."
Phone: (973) 642-7005
Fax: (973) 642-2981
 
 
Education
University of Pennsylvania, B.A., with honors, 1991
University of Pennsylvania, M.A., 1991
George Washington University National Law Center, J.D., with honors, 1994

COMPILED SPRING 2009
 
2014-02-10 11:10:58