Prison Consultants and the Myth of the Fixer: How to Separate Substance from Snake Oil

Prison consultants have been receiving dubious attention in the press lately.  The truth is, a qualified prison consultant can be a valuable member of a well-managed defense team.  But, beware of so-called experts who promise you the moon for a fee.  Helping us get set for sentencing is Walt Pavlo, the founder of Prisonology, a collection of exceptionally qualified prison consultants, most of whom are former high-level Bureau of Prisons officials.  IN THIS EPISODE: Deconstructing the New York Times piece about "a new breed of fixers"; Picking the right consultant for the job; The kind of experts connected to "prisonology"; Example of "RDAP Law" who weren't lawyers, gave terrible advice, bilked clients out of millions, and went to prison as a result; What are reasonable fees for Prison consultants; Limitations of prison consultants; The importance of finding a prison expert that can testify or submit sworn declarations to a judge at sentencing; How finding the right expert can save the attorney time and the client money; How the wrong consultant may put work product and attorney-client privilege at risk; How the attorney's failure to properly manage a consultant/expert can lead to disastrous results; How an attorney's failure to properly communicate and connect with a client may drive them into the arms of a charlatan; How to properly vet a potential prison consultant;  LINKS:   NYT Article:  Want to Do Less Time?  A Prison Consultant May Be Able To Help Prisonology Walt Pavlo at Forbes.com Prison consultant, former BOP Warden, Maureen Baird was an early guest on the podcast.  This is a great example of someone who can really help at sentencing.  Listen (or re-listen) to Set for Sentencing, Ep. 3, Telling the Story of Prison at Sentencing!