Slotnick is well known for defending infamous Mafia crime boss, John Gotti[1] and New York City subway shooter, Bernhard Goetz.
In 2021, he was the subject of a New York Times best seller, The Defense Lawyer, written by author, James Patterson, chronicling Slotnick's life.
A Manhattan jury found Goetz not guilty of all charges, except an illegal firearms possession count, for which he served two-thirds of a one-year sentence.
[11][12] The New York Times attributed the victory to Slotnick's "clever courtroom tactics," stating that he "turned out to be a shrewder, more accomplished performer than the prosecutor, Gregory Waples.
[18][19] Slotnick has also represented former Democratic Congressman Mario Biaggi, as well as Vyacheslav Kirillovich Ivankov, who was accused by the United States Department of Justice of being a major boss of the Russian mafia.
Ferriola had been ordered to redeploy to Iraq after completing eight years of service, and then sued the Army on the grounds that they violated his due process rights.
[31] With his son, Stuart, Slotnick also obtained a settlement for publicly traded company Sportingbet with the U.S. Government's Department of Justice for $30 million and a non-prosecution agreement.
[36] Slotnick and his defense of Bernhard Goetz in the 1984 New York City Subway shooting was mentioned in the song Rising to the Top by rappers Sean Price and Agallah.