54-year-old Charles Linehan has decided to resign from his position with the Conviction Review Unit in Brooklyn and instead launch his own law firm dedicated to wrongful conviction cases. After years of massive success working for the city to ensure justice, he’s ready to continue his path with a new partner.

According to reports, Linehan was the head of Brooklyn’s Conviction Review Unit. He worked for the city for almost 20 years, and during his time with the unit, he exonerated 12 innocent individuals.

The CRU unit in Brooklyn has captured national attention over the years. Since 2014, the unit has recommended the exoneration of 40 people that they determined were wrongfully imprisoned. The efforts and success of the group haven’t gone unnoticed. Now, like-minded justice-seeking individuals in other cities are attempting to use the Brooklyn CRU unit as a model to launch their own similar units.

The unit currently employs ten attorneys, two detective investigators, three paralegals, and a bureau administrator. Over the course of the past several years, the group has been focused on sifting through a backlog of cases.

According to Linehan, some of the cases he worked on had been dragging on for over ten years. On average, it takes the unit about a year and a half to thoroughly analyze a case and make a recommendation to either seek exoneration or let the original conviction stand. This lengthy process is time consuming, but it ensures justice is served.

All that said, Linehan is now partnering with Karen Neuwirth, a friend and colleague who worked with him on the Innocence Project. The Innocence Project is a non-profit based in Brooklyn that works to free wrongfully convicted individuals in the city. The duo will be launching their own law firm.

Seeking Exoneration and True Justice Under the Law

The justice system is supposed to ensure that no one gets wrongfully convicted, but there have been countless cases where innocent individuals found themselves on the wrong side of justice without cause. Exoneration is the legal process of helping those wrongly convicted individuals correct their errors.

In general, you’ll need a highly skilled attorney to help you seek exoneration. As explained above, even the best unit in Brooklyn takes up to a year and a half to fully analyze each case. Your lawyer will need to take the time and effort to thoroughly review your situation as well.

Here at Bukh Law, our leading attorney Arkady Bukh is globally recognized as a leading criminal defense attorney. Over the years, he’s handled a variety of cases, and he has a proven track record of advocating for high-profile, international clients as well as guarding the rights of minorities and immigrants who’ve been targeted in Brooklyn. If you believe you’ve been unfairly targeted by the justice system, then our team is ready to help.

Schedule a free consultation call with our team here at Bukh Law Firm to learn more about your legal rights and options based on your unique circumstances.