Law Firm Overview

The Law Offices of Alan Ellis assists federal criminal defendants and/or their counsel in obtaining the lowest possible sentence to be served in the best possible facility with release at the earliest opportunity. Areas of expertise include:

• Plea negotiations
• Sentencing strategy consultation, including objections to PSI and preparation of presentence memoranda
• Prison designation, transfers and disciplinary matters
• Rule 35 motions
• Direct appeals in all circuits from conviction and sentence
• Supreme Court practice
• Habeas corpus 2241 and 2255 petitions
• Parole representation
• Prisoner transfer treaty work for foreign inmates.

The firm has a national practice with regional offices in San Francisco and Philadelphia. Many of the firm's attorneys have served as federal law clerks, and several are former law school professors. Affiliated with the firm are a sentencing specialist who is a licensed clinical social worker, and a federal prison consultant formerly employed by the Bureau of Prisons.

Approximately one half of our work comes to us from defense attorneys requesting our assistance on cases. The remainder of our cases comes to us as a result of defendants, inmates or their family and friends contacting us directly with requests for representation.

With increasing frequency, we are being called upon to consult and assist earlier on in the criminal defense process. This is due in no small part to the importance of plea-bargaining and the significant recognition that planning and preparation for sentencing and post-conviction remedies must not be relegated to the post-verdict or post-plea stage of the proceedings.

While we cannot guarantee or predict a favorable outcome in any particular case, we will not take a case which we believe has no merit. We will only handle a case if we think the client has a reasonable chance of success.

When an individual calls us after being sentenced we generally require a thorough review of the record before we will agree to represent the person in a post-conviction proceeding. Cases involving sentencing, however, do not require a comprehensive review of the record before we will agree to accept representation.

Areas of Practice

• Criminal Law
• White Collar Crimes

West Practice Categories

Criminal Law, Federal, Parole & Probation, White Collar Crimes, Federal Appellate Practice, US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit