For Attorneys · Federal Sentencing Strategy
A federal sentencing strategist.
An extension of your defense team.
Give your client a disciplined preparation process before sentencing—and a practical plan for what comes after it.
Joseph works with defense attorneys across the country to develop the client’s record, prepare for the presentence interview and carry the work forward through prison preparation, institutional communication and release planning. One strategist. A defined scope. Direct accountability to the people relying on the work.
Connect with Joseph on LinkedInBefore consequential decisions
Build the record your advocacy can stand on.
The legal argument is counsel’s responsibility. The client’s preparation still requires sustained work: locating records, resolving inconsistencies, developing an accurate personal history, documenting change and following through on commitments. Joseph provides a dedicated process for that work.
Before the presentence interview
A structured preparation process centered on accuracy, accountability and the client’s own voice.
- Personal-history chronology and supporting-record inventory.
- Interview preparation with questions and disputed matters routed to counsel.
- Documented treatment, education, work and community contributions.
- A clear account of responsibility and the people affected by the conduct.
As sentencing approaches
An organized record that counsel can evaluate, challenge and use.
- Source-linked narrative materials and a supporting-document index.
- Specific firsthand observations from appropriate letter writers.
- A record of completed actions, current commitments and unresolved gaps.
- Preparation for the client’s statement, aligned with counsel’s direction.
What counsel receives
A defined work plan, document and task register, organized source materials, client-preparation updates and a concise account of open questions. Deliverables and reporting cadence are agreed at the outset, so counsel can see what has been requested, obtained, reviewed and completed.
The judicial perspective
Study what judges expect.
Prepare what the record must show.
Joseph has studied federal judges’ accounts of sentencing and what they expect from the people appearing before them. His preparation process asks how the client’s account can withstand scrutiny: whether it is specific, internally consistent, supported by records and reflected in conduct over time.
Accountability
Can the client explain their decisions and the resulting harm without minimizing responsibility or relying on borrowed language?
Evidence of change
What has actually changed? When did it change? Which records and people support that account?
A credible future plan
Are proposed work, housing, treatment and oversight arrangements concrete, realistic and accurately described?
The objective is to shape institutional understanding before institutions make institutional decisions. Counsel determines the legal significance of the record and how to present it to the court.
Read the guide to what federal judges consider →A central part of the engagement
Your client has been sentenced.
Who owns the next phase?
The hearing ends. Questions about surrender, designation, institutional adjustment and the path home begin.
For an attorney, a deliberate post-sentencing handoff gives the client and family a named point of contact and an organized plan. Joseph can enter the engagement after sentence has been imposed or continue work that began before the hearing.
Prepare for surrender and custody
- Review the practical implications of the judgment, presentence report and known designation with counsel.
- Organize medical, medication, family and employment information relevant to preparation.
- Develop a surrender checklist and a communication plan for the client and family.
- Identify unanswered administrative questions and the appropriate next contact.
Build the path toward release
- Prepare an individualized release plan and concise executive summary.
- Document proposed housing, employment, treatment, transportation and family support.
- Track available program and credit information, administrative questions and follow-up.
- Support preparation and authorized communications concerning halfway-house and home-confinement placement.
The work continues through a documented communication log, clearly assigned follow-up and updates to the release plan as circumstances change. Joseph helps clients prepare for productive case-manager conversations and keeps the attorney and family informed within the agreed scope.
Counsel’s account · September 3, 2025
Richard Levitt on a post-sentencing engagement
The sentence described in counsel’s recommendation.
Prison time before the anticipated release described by counsel.
“This second client surrendered in May of this year and he is being released shortly after serving just over four months of his 20-month sentence.”
Richard Levitt · Partner, Levitt & Kaizer
LinkedIn recommendation, September 3, 2025
Levitt described a detailed, credible early-release plan, coaching for communication with the case manager, extensive activity logs and consistent contact with the client and family.
This is counsel’s contemporaneous account of one matter. Time in a prison facility, halfway-house placement and home confinement are distinct stages. Placement and release decisions remain with the responsible authorities; individual outcomes depend on the case.
View Joseph’s LinkedIn recommendations →The professional record
Read what counsel says about the work.
“In each case Joseph delivered far above our expectations.”
“We look forward to continuing our work with Joseph and recommend him without reservation.”
Richard Levitt
Partner, Levitt & Kaizer
September 3, 2025 · LinkedIn recommendation
“I'd gladly team up with Joe again, and wouldn't hesitate to recommend him to other counsel and their clients.”
Justin Danilewitz
Chair, White Collar and Government Enforcement Practice, Saul Ewing LLP
October 13, 2025 · LinkedIn recommendation
Danilewitz described Joseph’s work with a client on a statement for the Presentence Investigation Report and the value of the preparation exercise.
Evaluate the published work
Joseph’s authored analysis and professional service give attorneys material to review before an engagement. Read the work, assess its relevance to your client and ask how the preparation process would operate in your matter.
National media appearances: Us Weekly / Uncovered · Business Insider
Explore academic and advisory service →Fit the support to your practice
Dedicated capacity.
A clear division of responsibilities.
One client. A defined scope.
Engage Joseph for a specific stage, preparation need or post-sentencing handoff, with agreed deliverables and deadlines.
Integrated support for your firm
For firms seeking an in-house federal sentencing strategist function, discuss a recurring consulting arrangement integrated with your team’s workflow and reporting needs.
An independent consulting engagement; staffing, capacity and terms are agreed directly.
Continuity after sentencing
Provide clients and families with a structured transition to prison preparation and release planning, including a defined communication and reporting process.
How an engagement starts
- Identify the decision ahead. Discuss procedural stage, jurisdiction, the next confirmed deadline and the practical problem counsel needs addressed.
- Define scope and responsibility. Agree on deliverables, communication channels, client and family participation, and who reviews and authorizes each submission.
- Build and verify the record. Work with the client, organize source materials, track gaps and report progress against the agreed plan.
- Maintain continuity. Update the plan as the case moves from the interview and hearing into custody, institutional review and release preparation.
Counsel directs legal strategy, legal advice and court filings. Joseph provides federal sentencing strategy consulting, client preparation, factual record development and post-sentencing support within the engagement’s scope. Information-sharing and confidentiality arrangements are established with counsel before sensitive materials are exchanged.
Questions from counsel
Practical answers before you engage.
Can Joseph begin after the client has already been sentenced?
Yes. An engagement can focus on surrender preparation, institutional communication, a release plan or a specific post-sentencing need. The first step is to establish the client’s current circumstances, available records and the work still to be done.
Does counsel stay in control of the case?
Yes. Counsel retains responsibility for legal advice, litigation decisions and filings. Joseph’s role, reporting schedule and authority to communicate with others are defined at the start.
What should we bring to the first conversation?
Begin with the district, case stage, next confirmed deadline, client priorities and the support you are seeking. Identify which records are available. Agree on a suitable transfer method before sending sensitive case documents.
Can the firm arrange ongoing support?
Yes. Discuss the firm’s anticipated needs, reporting expectations and capacity requirements directly with Joseph. A recurring consulting arrangement can be considered alongside matter-specific engagements.
Can a release date or placement be guaranteed?
No. The work is to improve preparation, documentation and follow-through. Courts and correctional authorities make the relevant decisions under the applicable rules and the individual record.
Start with the matter in front of you
Put a federal sentencing strategist
to work alongside your team.
Speak directly with Joseph De Gregorio about your client, the next decision and the support your practice needs.
Connect with Joseph on LinkedInSentencing Advocacy Group is not a law firm and does not provide legal representation or legal advice. Engagement scope is agreed individually. Past results do not guarantee future outcomes.