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Your inquiry is now with our intake team at Elizabeth Franklin-Best, P.C. We review every message personally, and someone from our office will reach out by phone or email to confirm what we can address and discuss next steps.
But if you’re reading this, odds are you’re not looking to wait.
Skip the Queue: Book a 60-Minute Consultation Today
If your federal matter needs real attention now — or if you’d simply like substantive answers before deciding whether to retain counsel — the fastest path forward is to schedule a paid initial consultation directly.
→ Book My 60-Minute Consultation — $400
Consultations are conducted by phone and typically scheduled within one to two business days.
Who You’ll Speak With
Your consultation will be conducted by Christopher Zoukis, J.D., MBA, Managing Director of Elizabeth Franklin-Best, P.C.
Christopher earned his J.D. from the University of California, Davis School of Law — where he served as Articles Editor of the UC Davis Law Review — and holds an MBA. He is the author of the Federal Prison Handbook, the Habeas Citebook, and more than 1,000 articles on federal criminal defense, federal sentencing, and Bureau of Prisons policy. His analysis has been cited by CNN, The New York Times, Fox News, and NPR, and he serves as Chairman of the Board of the Human Rights Defense Center.
Christopher leads the firm’s prison consulting practice and works closely with principal attorney Elizabeth Franklin-Best on federal criminal defense, direct appeals, § 2255 motions, compassionate release, clemency, and BOP policy matters.
What Your 60 Minutes Will Cover
A one-hour consultation with our firm isn’t a sales call. It’s a working conversation designed to give you substantive answers and a clear-eyed view of where you actually stand.
Depending on your matter, your consultation may address:
- Case strategy and realistic outcome assessment — based on the charges, jurisdiction, procedural posture, and the facts as you understand them
- Federal sentencing exposure — U.S. Sentencing Guidelines calculations, likely enhancements, mitigation opportunities, and realistic sentencing ranges
- Post-conviction options — direct appeal, § 2255, compassionate release, clemency, or administrative remedies, and which (if any) actually fit your case
- BOP policy and sentence computation — First Step Act time credits and Second Chance Act placement, designation and transfer advocacy, RDAP eligibility, custody classification, and early release planning
- Retention questions — what representation would look like, what it would cost, and whether our firm is the right fit for what you’re facing
Everything you share is confidential and protected.
Why We Charge for Initial Consultations
Most federal criminal defense firms offer free consultations that are really sales calls — short, surface-level, and designed to convert you into a client before your real questions have been answered.
We do it differently, for three reasons:
- Time. A meaningful review of a federal matter cannot happen in fifteen minutes. We block a full hour.
- Focus. We intentionally limit our active cases so each client receives substantive attention. The consultation fee reflects the cost of that attention.
- Value. Clients routinely leave our consultations with a clearer strategy than they received from firms they had already paid — whether or not they retain us afterward.
The $400 fee covers the consultation itself. It is not applied toward future representation.
Federal Defense and Federal Prison Consulting — One Consultation Covers Both
Christopher can address matters that fall under either of the firm’s core practice areas:
Federal criminal defense and post-conviction litigation
Trial defense, plea strategy, direct appeals, § 2255 motions, compassionate release under 18 U.S.C. § 3582(c)(1)(A), clemency and pardon applications, and related federal matters.
Federal prison consulting
BOP policy interpretation, sentence computation review, designation advocacy, FSA credit and Second Chance Act placement analysis, RDAP and SOTP strategy, disciplinary matters, facility transfers, and in-custody advocacy.
If you’re not sure which category your situation fits into, that’s fine — sorting that out is part of what the consultation is for.
Prefer to Wait for Our Callback?
If booking a paid consultation isn’t the right step for you today, that’s okay. Our team will respond to your form submission during normal business hours.
Please note: our initial intake call is limited to confirming whether your matter is something we can address. Substantive legal analysis, strategy discussion, and case-specific advice happen only during the paid consultation.
If your matter is time-sensitive — a pending court deadline, an imminent self-surrender, an active BOP decision, or an upcoming parole or clemency window — we strongly encourage you to book directly.