There are certain things in life that feel so out of reach, they might as well exist in another universe. For most of us, owning a yacht, a private jet, or a Manhattan brownstone are daydreams you let pass like a breeze—fun to imagine, but not worth clinging to.
And then sometimes, something shifts.
The other day, I was in my garage—elbows deep in a Saturday oil change with the radio humming in the background—when I heard something on the tech news segment that made me stop cold. The topic was the Figure 2 robot, the humanoid bot developed by Figure AI, and how it’s entering a competitive market with Tesla’s Optimus. But what grabbed me wasn’t the features or futuristic tech jargon—it was the projected price tag: $20,000. Maybe even closer to $15,000.
Now, the phrase “Queens lawyer” tends to conjure images of someone who flies private, owns three watches that cost more than your car, and probably has a money tree in the backyard. But let me be clear: that’s not me. I’m still a working man. I still bag my own groceries, and yes, I still change my own oil.
But when I heard that price—$15 to $20k—I had a moment. A real moment. I looked up from the oil pan, glanced over to the corner of the garage, and thought, I’m gonna put the robot’s charging station over there.
What a world we live in.
From Sci-Fi to Saturday Errands
I’m part of a generation that’s watched technology leap forward in the blink of an eye. I’ve gone from renting VHS tapes at Blockbuster to streaming courtroom documentaries in 4K. From handwritten briefs to scanning PDFs on my phone. We’ve seen induction cooktops, paper-thin smartphones, ubiquitous Wi-Fi, a global pandemic, and now, actual humanoid robots on the verge of stepping into our homes.
As a Queens criminal defense attorney and a criminal defense lawyer in Queens, my world is grounded in very human struggles. Fear. Stress. Second chances. But even in this line of work, technology seeps in. Surveillance footage, text message evidence, Ring doorbells capturing timelines. The tools are changing—but what they reveal still comes down to human behavior.
Yet for a moment in that garage, I wasn’t thinking about court filings or case law. I was thinking about how surreal it is that we’re living in a time where the average working professional might someday own a robot.
It’s Not About the Robot. It’s About the Dream.
We all grew up watching movies where robots made breakfast, folded laundry, and fetched the mail. And maybe that still feels a bit silly. But here’s the thing: that moment in my garage wasn’t about finally having a mechanical assistant—it was about the narrowing gap between “that’s for billionaires” and “maybe I could have that too.”
And that’s a rare feeling. Because in most areas of life—especially in a city like New York—the gap between what’s possible and what’s probable can feel like the Grand Canyon. But once in a while, technology democratizes wonder. Just like smartphones did. Just like Wi-Fi did. And now, maybe robots will too.
As a criminal defense lawyer in Queens, I see this same principle play out in the courtroom. That moment when a client realizes their life isn’t over. That they can fight back. That they have options.
A Lawyer, A Robot, and a Future Within Reach
I tell my clients all the time: the future isn’t fixed. The legal system wants to pin you to your past, but that’s not the end of the story. Whether you’ve been charged with a non-violent offense or facing serious criminal accusations, what matters most is how we respond—how we prepare, how we push back, and how we fight for a better outcome.
It’s not unlike that robot in the garage corner. Maybe it starts as a joke or a curiosity, but suddenly it becomes real. Tangible. Something you can plan for.
That’s how second chances work. That’s how justice should work. And that’s what I work for every day as a criminal defense lawyer in Queens serving clients across Queens, Long Island, and beyond.
The World Is Changing Fast—So Should Our Systems
If we’re entering a world where household robots cost less than some kitchen remodels, then we need to rethink how our systems serve people. We can’t cling to outdated ways of doing things while tech speeds forward. Our courts must become more efficient. Our approach to justice must evolve—because everything else already is.
I’m still wrapping my head around what it means to be on the edge of this kind of transformation. But I do know this: I’ll still be in my garage, probably still changing my own oil, but maybe one day I’ll have a robot handing me the wrench. And I’ll still be in courtrooms across Queens and Long Island, standing beside clients who deserve more than judgment—they deserve a path forward.
Because just like that robot, hope shouldn’t be reserved for the ultra-wealthy. It should be accessible to anyone willing to show up, put in the work, and take that next brave step.
