How To Find The Best Defense Attorney Now

How To Find The Best Defense Attorney Now

How To Find The Best Defense Attorney Now

As a federal prison consultant, I pride myself on finding solutions for my clients. My commitment to serve them forces me to wake early and hard each day.

I am grateful to have a team help me pursue that mission. One of those team members includes, Kathy Kaplan. After serving her sentence and completing probation, Kathy reached out to me. Like me, she feels a passion for helping white collar defendants better prepare for all aspects of their experience, and not just federal prison.

On my first call with Kathy I appreciated her insights into how defendants could better prepare for the pre sentence interview and sentencing. Then she said, “I think defendants could do a better job working with their lawyers. I heard a lot of horror stories in prison. Some might have been exaggerated, but I know many were legitimate. I would love to do more to help defendants find the best lawyer.”

The irony is that I have contemplated creating a lawyer directory for some time. I discussed creating this directory with Kathy. She was on board with the idea, and we have agreed to work together to grow it. I am really excited!

Who Is This Directory For?

Most of our website visitors face criminal or civil charges in federal court and they’re searching for trustworthy defense lawyers. Many of them are in need of a lawyer. The problem, of course, is that they do not know how to vet a lawyer properly. I have worked with, either directly or indirectly, hundreds of white collar defense attorneys. At this point in my prison consulting career, I have a pretty good idea if someone has hired a good or bad lawyer.

Our team at White Collar Advice is committed to helping our clients and followers find the best possible guidance. We can dramatically impact a defendant’s outcome by helping them vet and find a great lawyer.

Why Is This Defense Attorney Directory Different?

Easy, we’re only inviting a handful of lawyers from each judicial district. We do not want to overwhelm our visitors with a meaningless list that includes thousands of lawyers. Instead, we’re using our many years of experience as both defendants and prisoners to identify and invite the most appropriate defense lawyers in each judicial district to participate in our lawyer directory. We then profile those lawyers for criminal or civil defendants that contact us or visit our websites.

Why Is This Defense Attorney Directory Needed? Don’t Others Exist?

Unfortunately, many of the defendants who reach out to us regret the attorney they chose. They felt abandoned by counsel shortly after writing a large retainer check. Feeling stuck, they contacted us for guidance. Through our work we realized how poorly most defendants vetted their lawyer. Most simply look at a review on Avvo or Martindale, then call and hire them. In some cases that might work, but most of the time the outcome is a total disaster.

For example on the Avvo site it says, “Participating lawyers have years of experience and average 4.5/5 star reviews.” I have no idea if reviews are legit. Further, I have had too many clients hire a lawyer based on these reviews. Most of our clients who retain us after hiring a lawyer all say the same thing, “They say one thing before I hire them, then do another after I have paid them.” Those days are nearly over.

I am sure those big directories have benefits, but I am not sure helping white collar defendants find the best lawyer, is one of them. Again, nearly every lawyer seemingly has a five star review and testimonials–without a last name.

How do we know who wrote the testimonial? We do not.

These directories charge thousands of dollars and it markets the lawyers. Fine, people should make money and lawyers should promote their business. But it does not solve the problem: Helping white collar defendants vet and hire the best lawyer. Our directory will solve that problem. It will not happen overnight. It will take time to find the best lawyers in each district. I do have a large library of lawyers to draw from. Unfortunately, after seeing the way some of these lawyers represented my clients, they will not be extended an invitation.

What are some basic requirements to be a part of our exclusive directory?

We will invite defense attorneys who have a track record of providing best-in-class, holistic legal representation. Lawyers in our directory will have the requisite skill, extensive experience, and a record free of any state-bar violations.

They’ll also recognize the ancillary consequences that accompany a civil or criminal investigation, including the seemingly endless stresses faced by defendants and their families. Defense attorneys we feature will do more than simply guide clients through the judicial process. They help clients understand and prepare for the many challenges ahead–including what follows if the judge says:

“I hereby sentence you to the custody of the attorney general.”

After all, despite the valiant efforts of counsel, a significant percentage of white collar defendants will serve time in federal prison. We work with defense attorneys who recognize the importance of preparing defendants for the challenges that follow a plea or guilty verdict–including

• preparing for the presentence investigation
• preparing sentence mitigation strategies
• preparing for the sentencing hearing
• preparing for challenges of confinement
• preparing for supervised release, and
• preparing for life after prison.

White Collar Defendants suffer when they retain lawyers who fail to guide them in matters beyond the judicial process. A criminal charge can derail an individual’s sense of balance, disrupting every aspect of the defendant’s life. Lawyers in our directory will recognize the importance of providing holistic service. We profile lawyers who provide resources to guide defendants through every phase of the journey, including potential imprisonment and beyond.

What Is The Cost To Be In This Directory?

It will cost the defendant nothing. To cover administrative costs, marketing, web expenses and more the cost per lawyer each month is $40.00. Of course, any lawyer can cancel at any time. There is no contract.

In my next blog, I will cover some questions we will ask lawyers to help determine if they are a right fit for our directory.

Justin Paperny

P.S. If you think your lawyer should be considered, please send an email to jp@whitecollaradvice.com. I will reach out to him/her.