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Sentencing is one day. The record follows you for decades.

Facing sentencing, maybe prison, and questions from your family? Since 2009, we’ve helped thousands prepare. We can help you too.

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Global resource for media since 2009

“If you're in trouble, you need to call Justin.”
“When the Accused Starts Preparing for the Worst”
“The fixer (and felon) who prepares the rich for prison”

From Investigation to Release, People Will Judge You by Your Record.

Waiting is hard. What are you doing while you wait?

Sentencing is approaching. What have you created?

Prosecutors will influence the judge. What will the judge hear from you?

Your case manager hears requests every day. What record backs yours up?

Clients and business partners may search your name. What will they find?

Your family wants answers. What can you tell them?

Are you consuming content, or creating a record?

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Justin Paperny with his wife Sandra and their children
White Collar Advice Timeline

Do You Need a Guide? I Did.

I’m Justin Paperny. I’m 51, married to Sandra, with two kids, Jason and Alyssa, and a dog named Maverick.

I was a stockbroker convicted of securities fraud and sentenced to 18 months. I surrendered on April 28, 2008. I didn’t prepare for sentencing or prison. At Taft Federal Prison Camp, I met Michael Santos. He mentored me and encouraged me to document my journey. We wrote my first blog on October 12, 2008. Based on those experiences, I founded White Collar Advice.

I was released to the halfway house on May 20, 2009. Thanks to my timestamped release plan, my probation officer, Isaiah Muro, approved me to work with people in the federal system and to travel the country speaking on ethics.

I could not have engineered that plan alone. What thoughts have you given to creating a plan? Will a plan help or hurt your prospects for getting the result you want?

If you need help creating your plan, schedule a call.

Start building your record today.

What We Build With You

Your Preparation Plan

Where do you start?

Most people facing sentencing know they should be doing something. Few know what steps they should take. That’s why we exist: to bring clarity to people who want to understand the journey ahead.

Your lawyer handles your defense. What are you creating to help your lawyer present your life, your preparation, and your request for leniency?

If you don’t know how to answer that question, perhaps you should schedule a call.

We help you take first steps. Get insight into each stage of a comprehensive mitigation strategy, one that will carry you through the entire journey, including preparation before the presentence investigation, sentencing, sanction, administrative relief, and supervised release. If you anticipate a petition for executive clemency, or even recalibrating to launch the next phase of your career, start building the foundation for self-advocacy today.

Start while a judge, case manager, or probation officer can still use what you create.

02

Your Presentence Interview

What should the probation officer understand about you before recommending a sentence?

Our team helps you prepare for the interview and gather records about your family, employment, education, and health. We can collaborate to begin building the story, and to create a body of work that may influence better outcomes.

Your narrative and release plan can give your lawyer more information about your life. Keep adding to them after sentencing so you have evidence to present when asking for community placement or fewer restrictions.

Consider how the presentence investigation report (PSR) will influence your journey:

• Your judge considers that report before sentencing.

• The Bureau of Prisons relies upon it to decide placement and whether you qualify for programs that can, potentially, bring administrative relief.

• Your probation officer uses it during supervised release, and your judge will consider it, along with other factors, when deciding whether to grant early termination of supervised release.

• Should you choose to apply for clemency, your PSR will influence your application.

No one can change the past, but anyone can start sowing seeds for a better future.

03

Your Personal Narrative

The government builds its record through emails, financial records, interviews, and charging documents. What record will you bring to sentencing?

Should you hire our team, we will collaborate to build a story that reveals more about you and the totality of your life. Your narrative will show what you’ve learned from the experience, what you’re doing to make things right, and how you’ve been building a body of work that will support your lawyer’s request for leniency at sentencing.

If you’re pleading guilty, grasp the importance of accepting responsibility and identifying with the victims of the crime. Show what you’ve learned, and what you’re doing to make amends.

• Preparation can begin before an indictment or plea. Someone contesting allegations needs a narrative that reflects that position.

• Build a story that can help your defense team get a full picture of your life.

• Develop a comprehensive strategy that will prepare you for the journey ahead, regardless of the outcome of judicial proceedings.

04

Your Release Plan

Where will you live, how will you earn a living, and what are you doing today to prepare?

Your release plan should show that you’ve taken this process seriously, and that you have a full understanding of the collateral consequences that accompany a conviction. Your plan should address housing, employment, finances, family responsibilities, health, treatment, education, community support, and compliance with supervision.

Identify the challenges ahead, the steps you’re taking to prepare for the best possible outcome, and how you’re measuring incremental progress. Collaborate with our team to create an end-to-end plan, beginning where you are and taking you where you want to go.

05

Your Time Inside

What will you do during your first week, and your first year?

What do you even know about adjusting and living inside the Federal Bureau of Prisons?

Work with our team to get a better understanding of prison operations. Your plan will help you get results with daily routines, an understanding of programs, and possibilities for administrative relief. Develop tools that will advance your self-advocacy along the journey. Always work toward the best possible outcome.

06

Your Record of Progress

If you anticipate asking a case manager for community placement, a probation officer for fewer restrictions, or a judge for early termination of supervision, start building a comprehensive record that will support your request.

Our team can assist you in building that record. Contemplate the question before making a decision: Will stakeholders be more or less inclined to grant your request for consideration if you build a comprehensive plan?

07

Your Name Online

Will a DOJ press release cost you a client, a loan, or a business relationship?

Whether you agree with the government’s message or not, people may rely on the prosecutor’s narrative when assessing whether you’re a viable candidate for the next opportunity.

Our team helps create and publish a timestamped record of what you’re learning and accomplishing. Build that record over time so people have more to consider when deciding whether to do business with you.

Every decision a person makes today influences prospects for future opportunities. Consider what you can do.

If you don’t know how to answer, perhaps it makes sense to schedule a call with our team.

Our company isn’t right for someone who wants to pretend the press release and reputational fallout never happened.

Questions About Working With White Collar Advice

When should I begin preparing?

Now. Beginning sooner gives you more time to build a record that can influence your sentencing.

You can’t create six months of documentation the day before sentencing.

If sentencing is over, keep going. Decisions about programming, halfway house placement, and home confinement may still be ahead. Keep creating assets you can use when asking for consideration.

How do you work with my lawyer?

Your lawyer handles your defense. With your authorization, we share drafts with your lawyer, invite your lawyer to calls, and incorporate their feedback on materials intended for your case.

WCA does not submit materials to courts or government agencies.

What happens on the free introductory call?

You’ll speak with our team for 15 to 20 minutes. We’ll ask where you are in the process, what you’ve done to prepare, and what success looks like to you. Then, we’ll offer guidance for you to consider.

Bring your questions. We’ll respond honestly, and then point you to resources you can use. They may help you decide on the next steps to take.

How much does it cost?

The introductory call is free, where we provide general information about what to expect on the journey ahead. The $500 call lasts for approximately one hour. We listen to what is going on in your life at this particular time, and offer ideas that you may consider to work toward the best possible outcome.

Should you like the ideas we offer, and choose to engage our firm to implement those ideas, we will propose a price for the services we deliver. We will send a scope of work that details deliverables and the terms of our agreement. If you sign the scope of work, you will become a client of WCA and a member of our community.

What will I receive if I retain WCA?

You receive the services and deliverables that we agree upon in your scope of work. Each scope will identify the deliverables, responsibilities, fee, and payment terms. You will receive a user ID and password to our portal, where you will be able to track the progress we make toward giving you the deliverables we agreed upon in the scope.

WCA is not a law firm and does not provide legal advice.

Once you sign a scope of work, you become a client of White Collar Advice. As a client, you will get access to our client-only call every Tuesday at 9:30 AM Pacific / 12:30 PM Eastern.

Can you promise a shorter sentence or earlier release?

No. We cannot change the past. Only a federal judge or the President of the United States can change a federal sentence. For that reason, we cannot promise your sentence, prison designation, program eligibility, sentence credits, home confinement, or release date.

Anyone who tells you they can is preying on your vulnerabilities and your desire for certainty.

We help you build a body of work and create a record that may make you a better candidate for better outcomes. Together, we will work to create resources that can influence decisions.

If I don’t get the sentence or release date I wanted, was this wasted?

We believe there is enormous value in working toward better outcomes. The consequences of a conviction follow you for years. In time, you will return to your community and resume your career. Business partners, employers, clients, and others may search your name. What will they find? People will decide whether they want to do business with you, based upon what they read.

Your comprehensive mitigation strategy will provide you with resources that may help you influence those conversations. Your strategy should be ongoing, helping you overcome the collateral consequences that follow a conviction.

We believe creating an intentional body of work over a sustained period helps address those consequences, whatever the sentence or release date. We benefited from creating such assets ourselves.

We will never ask you to do what we have not done and documented.

What is the difference between White Collar Advice and Prison Professors?

White Collar Advice is a sponsor of Prison Professors, but they are two separate organizations.

Prison Professors Charitable Corporation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. Its books, courses, and educational resources are free. You don’t have to hire WCA to use resources that the nonprofit offers without charge. On the flip side, Prison Professors does not offer one-on-one consulting services.

White Collar Advice is a boutique consulting firm. Your written scope will detail the services and documents our team will provide.

WCA supports Prison Professors’ mission.

Three Ways to Get Started

Schedule a Free Call

15 to 20 minutes with our team

What can you do now to influence your sentence, prepare for more freedom, or address the reputational fallout?

What to expect on the call: We’ll ask about your case and what you’ve done so far. If we’re successful, when we conclude our call you’ll have better ideas on how to develop a comprehensive mitigation strategy.

Schedule a Free Call

An Hour With a Mitigation Expert

$500 · One-hour video call

Book a one-hour video call with a mitigation expert. We’ll ask questions to learn more about you and what you’ve done to prepare. Based on what we learn, we’ll provide a written plan with ideas for you to implement on your own, using our free resources. If you’d like to work with our team, we’ll provide a detailed scope of work that will show how we can collaborate.

If you don’t get more than $500 value from this call, let us know and we’ll refund your money.

As a bonus, those who sign up for the $500 video call receive:
  • Government Investigations Course
  • Presentence Investigations Course
  • Gathering Character Reference Letters Course
  • Understanding RDAP (Residential Drug Abuse Program) Course

Facing questions about proffers, cooperation, or what happens during a government investigation? The Government Investigations Course walks you through each stage.

Worried about the probation interview and its effect on your sentence and time in custody? Our presentence investigation course will offer insight you can use to prepare.

Our course on Character Reference Letters will offer insight into launching a campaign that will enhance your prospect of generating character reference letters that will help your judge learn more about you as an individual. The course includes more than ten sample letters.

Preparing for RDAP? Eligible people who complete the Residential Drug Abuse Program may receive up to 12 months off their sentence. Learn about the course, and the factors that administrators in the Bureau of Prisons will consider when determining whether you qualify.

Book a $500 Call

Get the Free Resources

  • PDFs of Lessons from Prison, Ethics in Motion, After the Fall, and other books
  • Interviews with federal judges and other experts
  • Private videos, including how to apply “Fix the window” when asking for leniency and how to address a DOJ press release
  • Replays of our weekly webinar
  • Ten personal emails, each with a short video showing how to use the resources
  • New content each week for members of our community

Use these resources to learn how to tell your story, create your release plan, and follow through during prison and the years after.

Get Free Resources

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