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Sentencing Mitigation Specialist

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Tess Lopez - Sentencing Mitigation Specialist

Show, Don’t Tell: The Power of Sentencing Mitigation Videos

1 Comment 12,584 Views
In a post-Booker world, most powerful sentencing submissions lay out a client’s history and characteristics with a comprehensive sentencing presentation: a detailed memorandum that puts the offense into the context of the client’s life, powerful objections to the presentence report, character letters from an array of individuals who know the
Sentencing In Federal Court 

Practice Tips: Obtaining the Most Impactful Character Letters For Sentencing in Federal Court

1 Comment 21,691 Views
  PRACTICE TIPS: OBTAINING THE MOST IMPACTFUL CHARACTER LETTERS FOR SENTENCING IN FEDERAL COURT Have a client who can collect over 400 letters to present to the judge prior to sentencing? The quantity is impressive, but do the letters leave a lasting impression? Do they reinforce your themes for mitigation?
Tess Lopez, Federal Sentencing Mitigation Specialist

Why should we get a psychological evaluation, my client is not crazy?

No Comments 11,741 Views
  This is a very common response when I suggest to attorneys that we obtain a psychological evaluation of our client in preparation for sentencing.  Of course there may be reasons a psychological evaluation would not be beneficial.  For example, if your client will be testifying against a co-defendant in
Tess Lopez, Federal Sentencing Mitigation Specialist

A Sentencing Video?

3 Comments 11,235 Views
A high profile client in a widely publicized case is disparaged in the media.  We have all seen it, a “reality show” played over and over.   Everybody has a comment, an opinion, a judgment.   Similarly, the Court is barraged by reports from the government highlighting all of the client’s horrible
Tess Lopez, Federal Sentencing Mitigation Specialist

United States v. Booker is 10 years old!

No Comments 9,605 Views
The federal sentencing guidelines took effect on November 1, 1987.   As a former federal probation officer, I watched a judge languish over sending a 77-year-old woman to prison for 10 years who carried drugs in her girdle.  A 20-year sentence for a marijuana grower.  Time and time again, judges complained
Tess Lopez, Federal Sentencing Mitigation Specialist

Hopeful Relief in Sentences for Economic Crimes

1 Comment 9,572 Views
We all agree that the fraud guidelines are out of touch with reality. U.S. district court judges no longer find credence in the fraud guidelines.  According to the most recent sentencing statistics released by the USSC, the average sentence imposed in fraud cases is 51.4% lower than the guideline minimum. The

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Tess Lopez, Federal Sentencing Mitigation Specialist

Tess Lopez is a federal sentencing expert. She has decades of experience in federal sentencing, giving her an unmatched and nuanced understanding of 3553(a). She helps attorneys create detailed strategies to highlight pertinent mitigating issues, assuring their clients receive the lowest possible sentences.

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