White Collar Advice · Blog
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Showing 217–228 of 802 articles
Why Do Most Defendants Get the Order of Mitigation Completely Wrong—And Pay the Price?
(Click the Play button above to listen to the whole podcast.) At a legal conference in San Diego a few years ago, […]
Justin Paperny
Sep 22, 2025
Andrew Adler and The Choice To Build
Too many people collapse after sentencing. They count every unfair detail: the plea they felt forced into, the probation report that went […]
Justin Paperny
Sep 22, 2025
Why Do So Many Defendants Treat Their Lawyer Like a Nanny—And Stay Quiet Even When It Hurts Them?
(Click the Play button above to listen to the whole podcast) About a year ago, Michael Santos and I had a tough […]
Justin Paperny
Sep 19, 2025
What Does the Prosecutor’s Playbook Actually Look Like Behind the Scenes?
Not long ago, I raised my voice at someone who had been on many of our webinars. He’s smart, funny, likable, and […]
Justin Paperny
Sep 18, 2025
Why Will a Federal Judge Be More Inclined to Listen If They See Their Own Values in You?
(Click the Play button to listen to the whole podcast) Data suggests people are more likely to help you if they recognize […]
Justin Paperny
Sep 16, 2025
Why Creating Assets Before Sentencing Can Influence Judges, Probation Officers, and the BOP
“What the hell do you mean, create assets that don’t exist? My lawyer has no clue either.” I received this message on […]
Justin Paperny
Sep 15, 2025
Preparing for Federal Prison Release: The U-Shaped Curve and the 1,000 Minute Rule
Why Do Your 1,000 Minutes Decide Whether You Climb Out of the U—or Stay Stuck at the Bottom? On April 28, 2008, […]
Justin Paperny
Sep 7, 2025
Lessons from Matthew Bowyer’s Sentencing
I’ve been to more than 1,500 sentencing hearings since 2009, and I still get nervous at every one. Friday was no different. […]
Justin Paperny
Aug 31, 2025
How to Write a Federal Sentencing Narrative and Release Plan That Judges Respect
If you are in a federal case, the government already controls the story. Your only chance to influence probation, prosecutors, and the […]
Justin Paperny
Aug 27, 2025
Dignity In Prison: The Men I Admired
A New Morning Habit I’ve been testing myself to start each morning differently. For years, my habit was automatic: get up, head […]
Justin Paperny
Aug 26, 2025
Hardest Part of Getting Out of Prison: Why Reentry Is Harder Than You Think
What’s the Hardest Part of Getting Out of Prison? It’s not the bars. It’s doing the work every day without knowing when—or […]
Justin Paperny
Aug 21, 2025
Do White Collar Defendants Go to Dangerous Prisons? The Honest Answer.
Most white collar defendants are placed in minimum-security prison camps. Placement depends on your sentence length, background, and behavior. These camps are […]
Justin Paperny
Aug 20, 2025
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