White Collar Week Tuesday Speaker Series: Jason Bowles, Esq., Criminal Defense Attorney for “Rust” Armorer Hannah Gutierrez on Zoom, Apr. 2, 2024, 7 pm ET, 4 pm PT. Start Here™.
We are honored to have Jason Bowles, Esq. as our special speaker in our White Collar Support Group™ Tuesday Speaker Series. Open to all!
Jason is the criminal defense attorney in Albuquerque NM who represented Hanna Gutierrez, the armorer in the Rust movie case. This should be fascinating and full of information about the criminal justice legal system!
He has been lead counsel in over 75 trials in federal, state and military courts, both criminal and civil trials. Most recently, Jason tried a medical malpractice case in state court in New Mexico, and achieved a multi-million dollar verdict for his client. Mr. Bowles has also handled over 40 appeals in state and federal courts in New Mexico, Texas and the District of Columbia.
Jason spent five years as a federal prosecutor and worked on complex fraud, smuggling and tax cases. Now as a private defense counsel for almost 20 years, he has represented individuals in some of the highest profile cases in the district of New Mexico, including prosecutions of the former Treasurer of the State of New Mexico, an individual charged in fraud in the building of the metropolitan courthouse, very significant and complex tax prosecutions, and several financial and banking cases, whether brought by individual U.S. Attorney’s Offices or the Department of Justice.
Jeff Grant’s Remarkable Recovery from Addiction and His Return from Federal Prison, to the Life of the Law
NEW YORK, NY, USA, February 23, 2024. After overcoming a personal battle with addiction to prescription opioids and serving nearly fourteen months in a Federal prison for a white-collar crime, Jeff Grant has emerged with a new purpose. He has founded GrantLaw, PLLC, a law firm in New York City that offers private general counsel services to clients facing or who have previously faced white-collar prosecutions and regulatory proceedings, as well as their companies and families.
Grant’s journey to founding GrantLaw, PLLC has been a long and challenging one. After struggling with addiction and serving time in prison, he has emerged with a new perspective and a desire to help others facing similar challenges. After earning a Master of Divinity from Union Theological Seminary in NYC, he co-founded Progressive Prison Ministries, Inc. and the White Collar Support Group (Greenwich, CT), the world’s first support group devoted to people navigating the white collar criminal justice system. He was reinstated to the New York Bar in 2021. With his unique background and experience, Grant is able to provide a level of understanding and empathy that is often lacking in traditional law firms.
Grant recently was interviewed on the JustPod, the American Bar Association’s Criminal Justice Podcast hosted by lawyers Justin Danilewitz and Geonard Butler. “It takes about 3 hours to drive from Greenwich, Connecticut to the Federal Correctional Institution, Allenwood Low in Pennsylvania. Jeffrey D. Grant knows this because he took that drive on an Easter Sunday in 2006. A lawyer whose life has taken a wrong turn on the road to addiction, Jeff Grant left the upscale life he had cultivated in Connecticut to enter what would be his new home for the duration of his 18-month Federal criminal sentence,” stated Danilewitz. He added, ” Jeff was released from custody in 2007 and was able to recover from addiction, obtain a divinity degree, co-found the world’s first White Collar Support Group and found GrantLaw, PLLC, a law firm providing general counsel services to people navigation the white collar criminal justice system and their families and businesses…”
GrantLaw, PLLC is not your typical law firm. It offers a holistic approach to legal services, taking into account the personal and emotional toll that white-collar prosecutions and regulatory proceedings can have on individuals and their families. The firm also offers support and guidance for companies facing these types of legal challenges, recognizing the impact they can have on the entire organization.
According to New Yorker Staff Reporter Evan Osnos, “Jeff Grant is the real deal… I can’t imagine there is a lawyer in this country more qualified to consider the complex issues facing people prosecuted for white collar crimes and their families.”
Grant’s ultimate goal with GrantLaw, PLLC is to help individuals and companies navigate the complex legal landscape of white-collar crime and regulatory proceedings with compassion and understanding. He hopes to use his personal experience to not only provide legal counsel, but also to inspire and support others who may be going through similar struggles.
Grant is member of the American Bar Association, the New York State Bar Association, the New York City Bar Association, the Federal Bar Association, the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers and the Social Impact Entertainment Society. He is also on the Board of Directors of the Legal Action Center (NYC), is Co-Chair of the American Bar Association Criminal Justice Section Reentry & Collateral Consequences Committee, and is a member of the American Bar Association Advisory Committee on Legal Assistance Programs.
For more information on GrantLaw, PLLC and the services they offer, please visit their website at www.grantlaw.com. Grant is also available for interviews and speaking engagements to share his story and discuss the unique approach of his law firm.
Watch Our New Start Here™ Video. White Collar Support Group™ 400th Meeting, Mon., Feb. 19, 2024, 7 pm ET, 4 pm PT
Progressive Prison Ministries, Inc., the world’s first ministry devoted to serving people prosecuted for white collar crimes and their families, will hold its 400th weekly White Collar Support Group™ meeting online on Zoom this Monday, February 19, 2024, 7 pm ET, 4 pm PT. It is open to those directly justice-impacted only. Newcomers should register at prisonist.org/contact.
WEST PALM BEACH, FL, February 13th: Progressive Prison Ministries, Inc., the world’s first ministry devoted to serving people prosecuted for white collar crimes and their families, will hold its 400th weekly White Collar Support Group™ meeting online on Zoom this Monday, February 19, 2024, 7 pm ET, 4 pm PT. It is open to those directly justice-impacted only. Newcomers should register at prisonist.org/contact.
Co-founded by husband and wife, ordained minister and white collar attorney, Jeff Grant (Jeffrey D. Grant, Esq.) and Lynn Springer in Greenwich, CT, the White Collar Support Group™ held its first meeting online in 2016. Since then, over the past 8 years, the support group has had over 900 participants from the United States, Canada, Mexico, Europe, Israel, South America and the Caribbean.
Progressive Prison Ministries’ goal is to provide practical information, and spiritual and emotional support, to those who are feeling alone, isolated, and hopeless while navigating the white collar criminal justice system. Its objective is to provide guidance in finding a path to a healthy, reinvented life on the other side of what may seem like insurmountable problems.
Meetings are held online weekly on Mondays on Zoom beginning at 7 pm ET, 4 pm PT and last approximately 75 minutes. Each meeting is centered on a relevant topic such as preparing for prison, family issues, finances, careers after prison, conquering fear, mental health and substance abuse, etc. Members are given the opportunity to reflect on and share their experiences, to ask questions, and are encouraged to embrace group newcomers. The support group continues to grow with each weekly gathering.
“The White Collar Support Group™ ’s purpose is bring people out of the isolation that is destroying them, and into a supportive community that provides solutions. At the end of the day, if we can help people untangle themselves from their myriad problems and find a clear path to a successful, productive and joyous life, that’s a success story,” said Grant. “We have found that things go much easier, and better outcomes can be reached, when people with white collar criminal justice issues reach out to us early in their journeys – when they make us their first call – before they’ve made too many mistakes and used up too much of their precious resources. It’s the reason why, to celebrate our 400th meeting and the beginning of our ninth year, our new outreach initiative is called, ‘Start Here™’,” Grant added.
White Collar Support Group™ Deputy Director William Livolsi (Bill) agrees. Livolsi pointed out, “we don’t give advice; we share our collective experience. We have hundreds of support group members who give of themselves freely and share their time and resources with each other. It’s a beautiful, and extremely helpful, way to learn, grow, and get through the most difficult times of families’ lives.”
The support group and community have been featured in many national and regional media, including the New Yorker, Entrepreneur,Reuters, Forbes and Greenwich Magazine, as well as major podcasts such as The Rich Roll Podcast. Grant has also been a Main Stage presenter at prestigious conferences such as The Nantucket Project. In addition to being a popular interviewee, Grant has helped thousands of his community members navigate their past and push towards re-establishing themselves as productive contributors to society.
With both Law and Master of Divinity degrees, Grant provides a unique perspective of understanding about what community members are coping with and facing ahead of them. Grant himself spent almost 14 months in a Federal prison for a white collar crime he committed in 2001. In 2021, Grant’s law license was reinstated by the New York Supreme Court (GrantLaw.com).
According to Evan Osnos, writer/reporter for The New Yorker, “Jeff Grant is the real deal… I can’t imagine there is a lawyer in this country more qualified to consider the complex issues facing people prosecuted for white collar crimes and their families.”
Former Philadelphia District Attorney Seth Williams, who served time in a Federal prison and is a member of the White Collar Support Group™ , said, “the group is a network of welcoming, non-judgmental, and understanding men and women who share their similar experiences in an open and nurturing environment.”
Complementing the weekly meetings is a blog on the ministry’s widely regarded site, prisonist.org, where materials are published for community members to learn more about white collar criminal justice issues. Its White Collar Week podcast has also become a critical source for this community, providing a platform for sector experts and for those that have gone through the journey. Guests have included current and former politicians, financial executives, white collar criminal defense attorneys, federal agents, judges, Hollywood producers and more.
About Progressive Prison Ministries: Established in 2013 in Greenwich, CT, Progressive Prison Ministries is the world’s first ministry devoted to serving people prosecuted for white collar crimes and their families. More information is available on its website at prisonist.org. Start Here™.
White Collar Support Group™ 400th Meeting Video Reflection, Lynn Springer. Start Here.
400th Meeting, Online on Zoom, Monday, Feb. 19th, 7 pm ET, 6 pm CT, 5 pm MT, 4 pm PT. Open to those directly justice impacted only. Please join us for the reunion and feel free to share with clients, colleagues, friends, family members or anyone in need.
White Collar Week Tuesday Speaker Series: Mike Morawski, Multi-Family Real Estate Investment Expert on Zoom, Feb. 13, 2024, 7 pm ET, 4 pm PT.
We were honored to have Mike Morawski as the February speaker in our White Collar Support Group Tuesday Speaker Series.
Is there business life after white collar criminal justice issues. You bet! Mike took us through how he was able to restart his hugely success real estate investment business after his difficult journey.
Mike, is a 30+ year real estate investment veteran. He has controlled over $405,000,000 in real estate transactions. Mike is an entrepreneur, author, real estate trainer, public speaker, personal coach and the Chief Investment officer of Resilience Equity a multifamily hedge fund.
With a strong, personal resilience, and deep desire to help others live an extraordinary life, he has coached hundreds of real estate investors to fulfill their dreams.
Mike’s, background began as a general contractor in the Northwest Suburbs of Chicago with $5 mm in annual revenue he sold his company. He entered the real estate industry as a sales agent, building a team and selling over $20 mm per year in production. In 2005 Mike started a private equity firm, raising $18 mm in private equity, and acquired $60 mm in multifamily apartments 4,000 units in five different US markets.
Today Mike’s passion is giving his knowledge and wisdom away to others for their gain. Mike is the host of the Insider Secrets Podcast and the co-host of Multifamily Unplugged Podcast. He has built a training and coaching platform for real estate investors and industry professionals. His core principle is to teach his clients how to create “short term cash flow and long-term wealth.”
Mike shares his story of success, loss and redemption to help others find hope and inspiration. One single focus of Mike’s personal journey is to others see that their past does not dictate their future.
To reach Mike Morawski: Mike@MikeMorawski.com
Sponsored by Progressive Prison Ministries/White Collar Support Group. Start Here. https://prisonist.org
There is little doubt that Nike’s tag line, Just Do It, has been an incredible success. There is hardly a person in any corner of the world that doesn’t recognize it, identify it with Nike, and relate it to a healthy, athletic lifestyle of hard work, sweat and dedication to better themselves.
For a few years, our ministry and White Collar Support Group™ have used the tag line, We Can Help. Similar to Nike, our branding has been an overwhelming success – reaching out to people and families navigating the white collar criminal justice system and offering them a safe space where they can move from the isolation that destroys us, into the solution of community. Where they could be welcome with no judgment, get accurate information about their criminal justice journey, find sanctuary to share, learn, network and make important relationships, laugh at ourselves a little, and grow together to find new lives of dignity, joy and success. All freely offered by our volunteers.
And we knew that the key to this move was to be the first call, the point of entry, for people who have white collar criminal justice issues and lead them to the promised land on the other side of their legal issues. Before they made the mistakes that we all made. Before they ran through their precious resources that they desperately needed and need to navigate these shark-infested waters. To be the first call.
This was a revelation that things had changed, and we had to change along with them. We’d grown up, we have more experience than anybody, and we are now universally recognized as the leading authority in this sector. The world, and Google, recognize us as owning the term “White Collar Support Group™”. Of course they do. We are the first, the longest running, the biggest and the most helpful. And in order to be of service to our community, and consistent with our mission to reach out to others like us suffering in silence, we felt compelled to move from the passive voice of the branding of We Can Help, to one that is stronger, more powerful, and more authoritative.
We knew we needed to stand up, be bold, and be proud of all we’ve accomplished together. To take important positions, to advocate for them, and to dedicate ourselves even more to changing the world. And we wanted to just do it in conjuncture with our 400th White Collar Support Group™ meeting that we will host on Feb. 19, 2024 (Please join us).
I was psyched. We all were.
So, while lunching a few days ago at a new Asian Fusion restaurant here in West Palm Beach, I was explaining this concept to Lynn (for those of you who don’t know, Lynn Springer is my wife, partner, and co-founder of our ministry) and I could hardly control myself. My arms were waiving, the Pad Thai was flying everywhere. Lynn listened attentively (as she is wont to do) and then confidently, knowingly leaned forward (as she is wont to do) and told me she had it! She had our new tag line and branding.
Start Here™.
That was it! Start Here™. Hard stop. It was such a powerful statement. In two words it encapsulated everything we stood for, everything we wanted, everything we needed, everything we worked our butts off to achieve over the past eight years. And in the spirit of less is more, boiling it down to two words was masterful. A stroke of genius. Start Here™ was it!
We finished up our lunch, drove quickly home, and I got on the phones. We have it, we have it! And every single group member I spoke with agreed. Start Here™ was perfect.
So, my dear friends and Fellow Travelers, there you have it. Start Here™ is our new tag line and branding. Start Here™ is us. Start Here™ is what we believe in. Start Here™ is our big, bold statement of how we aspire to be of highest, best use to our white collar community. And Start Here™ is our vision for a bright, successful future for us all.
And, to get to this future full of hope and promise, all we have to do is one simple, but critical, thing: Start Here™.
*PS, thank you Lynn, thank you Nike and thank you to all of you for eight wonderful years.
“Join us in this week’s episode as we discuss what he has learned along the way about relationships, work ethic, service, God, addiction, prison, and sobriety. This is a deep dive into how to love, tell your truth, and live a meaningful spiritual life in service to others.”
“Over 20 million people are suffering right now from substance abuse, often in silence. This secrecy around addiction creates shame which then increases the addiction, which then increases the shame.
This vicious cycle can only be broken if we first break the stigma of addiction and the silence and shame that perpetuates it. This week’s guest on the Cracking Open podcast is Jeff Grant, and he’s here to do just that.
After a basketball injury, Jeff was prescribed opioids for the pain and thus began his slippery slope into substance dependency. His growing addiction led Jeff down a path filled with secrecy and lies that ultimately caused the loss of his law firm, a suicide attempt, a felony fraud conviction, and a federal prison sentence.
This cracking open moment radically awakened Jeff’s life and soul. After being released from prison, Jeff earned his Master of Divinity, served at an inner-city church in Bridgeport, Connecticut as Associate Minister and Director of Prison Ministries, and then co-founded Progressive Prison Ministries, Inc. – the world’s first ministry dedicated to serving people navigating the white-collar criminal justice system.
Jeff’s law license has since been reinstated, and he once again founded a private law practice in New York City where he is committed to using his legal expertise and life experience to benefit others. He also recently celebrated his 21st year of sobriety.
Join us in this week’s episode as we discuss what he has learned along the way about relationships, work ethic, service, God, addiction, prison, and sobriety. This is a deep dive into how to love, tell your truth, and live a meaningful spiritual life in service to others.”