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Peter J. Schaffer has been trying cases in the Bronx’s Supreme, Criminal, and Family Courts since 1987 — a caseload that runs, by his own description, from pink summonses to federal death-penalty-eligible crimes. His practice-devotion statement names DWI expressly, and names it correctly: drunk-driving defense, he notes, is provided both in Criminal Court and at the DMV — the two-front reality of every New York refusal case, stated by a lawyer who has been fighting on both fronts from the Grand Concourse for nearly four decades.
At a Glance
| Firm | Peter J. Schaffer, Attorney at Law |
| Principal Attorney | Peter J. Schaffer |
| Office | 888 Grand Concourse, Bronx, NY — the borough’s courthouse corridor |
| Focus | New York State criminal defense including DWI (criminal court and DMV tracks), federal criminal defense nationwide, false arrest and police brutality litigation, and serious personal injury |
| Admissions | New York (1987) and Connecticut; U.S. District Courts for the Southern and Eastern Districts of New York and the District of Connecticut; U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit |
| Education | J.D., University of Denver Sturm College of Law (1986) — Order of St. Ives, Administrative Law Review editor; B.A. summa cum laude, Western State College (1980) |
| Fee Structure | Free initial consultation; the firm’s materials emphasize high-level defense at affordable prices |
Career History
Schaffer earned his law degree from the University of Denver in 1986 with Order of St. Ives honors and an editorship on the Administrative Law Review, was admitted in New York in 1987, and has spent the thirty-eight-plus years since as a trial lawyer — hundreds of arraignments, bail arguments, suppression hearings, grand jury proceedings, and bench and jury trials in New York City’s courts, with federal trial work in the district courts for the past three decades. He is a member in good standing of the federal Criminal Justice Act panel, representing indigent defendants in federal court, and belongs to the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers and the Bronx County Bar Association. He has appeared repeatedly as a criminal-law commentator on Court TV, In Session on truTV, the Nancy Grace Show, News12 Bronx, and BRONXNET.
Practice Concentration
The practice pairs the two disciplines this category has repeatedly found productive: criminal and DWI defense on one track, and false-arrest and police-brutality litigation on the other — the suppression-issue crossover in which the lawyer who sues over unlawful stops also defends them. The DWI line is explicit in his practice statement and structurally complete, covering both the criminal case and the parallel DMV proceeding. Around it sits a full-spectrum criminal practice — from traffic violations through homicide, racketeering, and federal capital-eligible matters — plus a serious personal injury docket. He appears in all New York City criminal and Supreme Courts and the surrounding counties, with particular depth in the Bronx, where his office sits on the Grand Concourse courthouse corridor.
Track Record
The verifiable record is longevity and trial volume: hundreds of hearings and trials across state and federal courts since 1987, civil-rights cases tried in the U.S. District Courts, and a Martindale-Hubbell “Distinguished” peer-review rating reflecting wide respect among fellow lawyers. The firm publishes no itemized DWI dispositions ledger, and this research did not independently verify individual outcomes; we disclose that rather than substitute vague claims. Past results do not guarantee or predict a similar outcome in any future case.
Client Voice
The consumer-review base is small — two reviews on Avvo — and we say so plainly; at thirty-eight years into practice, his standing runs primarily through peer channels. What exists is warm and specific: one client described him as a role model and friend who delivered excellent results; another praised his responsiveness, efficiency, and personal investment, drawing a gracious reply from Schaffer himself. A fellow lawyer of ten years’ acquaintance, who has watched him try cases, recommended him for criminal matters without reservation. One transparency note: the firm’s lawyers have chosen not to display peer reviews on the Martindale network. This research did not surface any public disciplinary findings.
Beyond the Courtroom
Schaffer’s CJA panel membership is sustained public service — federally appointed defense of indigent defendants — and his recurring television commentary, including on the Bronx’s own News12 and BRONXNET, functions as public legal education for the borough he practices in. The police-accountability docket extends the same posture through litigation.
Recognition
The recognitions here are peer- and court-conferred, and we weight them accordingly: the Martindale-Hubbell Distinguished peer rating, the federal CJA panel membership, Super Lawyers selection with Criminal Defense: DUI/DWI among his designated areas (peer-informed recognition from a commercial publication, not certification), and law-school honors from four decades ago that still say something about the foundation. A disclosure we apply to every New York profile: New York State does not operate a board certification program for legal specialties comparable to the Texas Board of Legal Specialization, so no New York attorney profile on this site will describe its subject as a state-certified specialist, and this profile attributes no certification to Schaffer.
New York Legal Backdrop
New York’s impaired-driving offenses are tiered under Vehicle and Traffic Law § 1192: Driving While Ability Impaired by alcohol (§ 1192(1)) is a traffic infraction typically charged between .05 and .07 BAC; per se DWI (§ 1192(2)) begins at .08; Aggravated DWI (§ 1192(2-a)(a)) begins at .18. Leandra’s Law makes DWI with a child aged 15 or younger in the vehicle (§ 1192(2-a)(b)) a class E felony on a first offense, and VTL § 1198 mandates ignition interlock devices for misdemeanor and felony DWI convictions. A second DWI within ten years is a felony under § 1193, and a chemical-test refusal triggers a separate DMV hearing under § 1194 that can revoke a license for at least a year regardless of the criminal outcome — the second front that Schaffer’s own practice description names alongside the criminal case. Bronx DWI matters are heard in the borough’s courts on and around the Grand Concourse, steps from this practice’s door. None of this is legal advice; consult a licensed New York attorney about your situation.
Awesome Attorneys Assessment
The case for Schaffer is courtroom mileage in the right borough: thirty-eight years of Bronx trial practice from a Grand Concourse office, an explicitly named two-track DWI line, federal capability most borough solos lack, the DWI-sharpening police-misconduct pairing, peer-conferred standing, and an affordability posture rare among lawyers with his tenure.
The honest trade-offs, stated plainly: this is a solo generalist practice in which DWI is a named line rather than a concentration — there is no NCDD affiliation, no prosecutorial background, and no published DWI results record; the consumer-review base is very small and peer reviews are not displayed; and clients seeking a team-staffed or DWI-only model will find those elsewhere in this directory.
Methodology & Sourcing
This profile was researched and written independently by Awesome Attorneys in August 2026 without the participation, sponsorship, or payment of Peter J. Schaffer, Attorney at Law. Primary sources: the firm’s website (fedcrimlaw.net), including the practice-devotion statement naming DWI and its criminal-and-DMV two-track coverage. Independent verification: Cornell LII listing (1987 New York admission, Connecticut and federal admissions, University of Denver honors, association memberships); Super Lawyers attorney and firm profiles (DUI/DWI practice designation, practice scope); Martindale listing (Distinguished peer rating; the non-display of peer reviews, disclosed above); Yelp listing (office at 888 Grand Concourse; media commentary history); Avvo profile (client reviews and the peer endorsement quoted in substance above); Justia directory (38-plus years’ trial experience, DWI coverage in criminal court and at the DMV). Statutes cited in the New York Legal Backdrop were verified against New York Vehicle and Traffic Law §§ 1192, 1193, 1194, and 1198.
Publisher Disclosure & Independence Notice
Awesome Attorneys is an independent legal-directory publisher. This profile was not paid for by Peter J. Schaffer, Attorney at Law, and inclusion in our editorial coverage cannot be purchased. Our methodology and editorial standards are applied consistently across all firms we cover.
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