Herb Hoelter
National Center on Institutions and Alternatives
443-780-1353, www.ncianet.org
This industry pioneer works to secure the shortest possible prison stays at preferred locations for clients like former Sotheby’s chairman Alfred Taubman and financier Michael Milken. He also prepares clients for life without decisions and tells them to leave their BlackBerries at home. Once a client is inside, Hoelter connects him to an in-prison buddy system whenever possible. Because he has former clients at many prisons, he is often able to arrange a meeting between one of his old clients and the new guy so he can learn the ropes.

Joel Sickler
Justice Advocacy Group, P.C.
703-717-0644, sickler1@hotmail.com
Sickler says he’s worked with former Enron C.E.O. Jeffrey Skilling and has advised former New York Times reporter Judith Miller and Condé Nast Portfolio senior writer Matthew Cooper (who didn’t go to prison but was ready to). Sickler primarily handles sentence mitigation, but he also gives clients a memo with instructions on how to navigate the prison lifestyle and then answers any questions they may have. 

David Novak
David Novak Consulting
801-364-7747, www.dnovak.com
Novak is notably hands-on in the field of sentence mitigation because he specializes in making sure the client’s family knows how to pay bills, handle the insurance companies, and manage banking issues. This paralegal and ex-convict also offers firsthand insights into what prison is like.

Alan Ellis
415-380-2550, www.alanellis.com, aelaw1@aol.com
This criminal defense lawyer specializes in federal sentencing, but beyond wrangling for the best sentences, he has written the Federal Prison Guidebook, which explains the federal sentencing process and details different prison facilities in layman’s terms. Ellis’s clients have included “the American terrorist” John Walker Lindh, and politician Lyndon LaRouche.

John Webster
National Prison and Sentencing Consultants
401-694-1294, www.nationalprisonconsultants.com, info@nationalprisonconsultants.com
In addition to practicing sentence mitigation, Webster meets with clients and their families to help demystify prison and review all rules, regulations, and procedures. He knows them well, because he was incarcerated in 2001 for lying to the F.B.I. He also helps arrange in-prison visitations and keeps families informed about a client’s well-being: For example, if family members haven’t heard from an imprisoned relative for a few days and become worried, Webster will step in and find out how the client is doing.