White Collar Advice · Blog
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Read about federal investigations, sentencing, prison, supervised release, and life after release. A new article every day to help you understand the process and decide what to work on now.
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Showing 13–24 of 44 articles
The Calls I Didn't Return | Chapter 6
Michael Santos asks why Justin ignores calls from scared defendants. A McDonald’s meeting exposes his excuses and launches White Collar Advice.
Justin Paperny
Nov 30, 2025
How to Hire a Criminal Defense Lawyer
Most people facing a federal investigation have never hired a criminal defense lawyer. They search online, take the first consultation they can
Justin Paperny
Nov 26, 2025
The 33 Strategies of War Meets Federal Sentencing: Lessons That Can Save You Years in Prison
Summary This article examines how human behavior under pressure—described in Robert Greene’s The 33 Strategies of War—mirrors the four biggest mistakes defendants
Justin Paperny
Nov 20, 2025
Federal Defendant Lessons: Part I Summary of Justin Paperny’s After the Fall
Summary: This Part I Summary of After the Fall covers the first five chapters and the essential federal sentencing lessons every defendant
Justin Paperny
Nov 17, 2025
Easier to Say Than Live | Chapter 5
A heckler in Arkansas, restitution checks, and a friend’s question about waiting to marry show Justin the gap between sounding Stoic and living it.
Justin Paperny
Nov 10, 2025
Dodger’s Win!
Usually, I write in the evenings. But this week was Dodger baseball — priorities. For that reason, Chapter 5 of After the
Justin Paperny
Nov 2, 2025
The Fly Wins | Chapter 4
Sick on the couch and unable to stop working, Justin recalls a 2009 halfway-house lockdown and Witold Pilecki to question discipline versus compulsion.
Justin Paperny
Oct 26, 2025
No Discounts on Dignity | Chapter 3
From a JDate ban over a prison disclosure to a speaker-fee lowball, Justin refuses to discount himself because of his federal conviction.
Justin Paperny
Oct 20, 2025
Walking Cliché | Chapter 2
Fresh from Taft in an oversized suit, Justin walks downtown LA pitching lawyers on his book. Ten rejections, one yes, and a lesson in showing up.
Justin Paperny
Oct 12, 2025
Silence Isn’t a Strategy, It’s a Sentence | Chapter 1
Justin Paperny wasted 3.5 years doing nothing before federal prison. Learn how Michael Santos and his first blog taught him to build a record instead.
Justin Paperny
Oct 5, 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 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
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