In the legal world, experience matters. Lawyers market themselves based on years in practice, the cases they’ve won, and the courts they’ve argued before. But when it comes to federal criminal defense and post-conviction advocacy, there is one kind of experience that cannot be taught in law school or learned in a courtroom: the lived reality of federal prison.
That’s why more and more attorneys are choosing to partner with or hire lawyers who have been there themselves.
Understanding What Clients Really Face
When you represent a client headed into federal prison, the case doesn’t end at sentencing. For the client and their family, that’s only the beginning. Placement, programming, disciplinary issues, sentence calculations, and eligibility for early release under the First Step Act or Second Chance Act are just as important as what happened at trial.
A lawyer who has personally lived inside the Bureau of Prisons understands:
- How policies are actually applied behind bars (vs. how they’re written).
- The unspoken realities of prison life that no manual will explain.
- The practical challenges your client and their family will face from day one.
That insight makes for stronger advocacy and better preparation for your client.
Insider Knowledge of the Bureau of Prisons
The BOP is a system unto itself. Even experienced defense attorneys often struggle to navigate administrative remedies, disciplinary hearings, or credit calculations under the First Step Act.
A lawyer who has been inside brings firsthand knowledge of:
- How staff interpret (or misinterpret) sentence credits.
- The realities of program access and availability.
- What happens when a client loses good time or faces an incident report.
- The frustrations prisoners experience when policy and practice don’t match.
This level of understanding is invaluable when advising clients, preparing sentencing memos, or litigating habeas corpus petitions.
Credibility With Clients
Clients facing prison want to know their lawyer truly understands what’s ahead. A lawyer who has actually lived through it carries an unmatched level of credibility.
For families, too, knowing their attorney isn’t just theorizing—but has walked through the same gates—builds trust. That trust can be the difference between a client who gives up and one who keeps fighting.
Expanding a Law Practice
Hiring or partnering with a lawyer who has served time can help a firm:
- Expand services to include post-conviction filings, sentence reduction motions, and BOP administrative remedies.
- Stand out in a competitive market by offering insider-level guidance.
- Deliver better outcomes for clients who deserve not just a defense, but a plan for every stage of their sentence.
Turning Adversity Into Advocacy
There is a stigma attached to being a lawyer who has gone to prison. But for the right attorney, that lived experience becomes an asset. It means they can see the system from both sides—defender and defendant, courtroom and cellblock.
And for clients, that combination of legal skill and lived knowledge can be life-changing.
Hiring a lawyer who has been to federal prison isn’t about condoning mistakes of the past—it’s about recognizing the value of experience that no textbook or CLE can offer.
For clients, it means having someone in their corner who knows what’s really coming.
- For law firms, it means expanding services and credibility.
- For the system, it means turning hardship into advocacy.
Because in federal practice, there’s nothing more powerful than a lawyer, or disbarred lawyer who truly understands what freedom costs—and how to fight for it.
Robert Rohrbaugh II
At PrisonLawFirm.com, we understand the system from both sides of the bars. Founder Robert Rohrbaugh practiced criminal law handling both state and federal cases for over 25 years. During that time he defended clients in some of the toughest courtrooms in America. In a rare and extraordinary turn, Bob found himself in a situation that would take him from a member of the bar to behind the bars.
After being indicted in Federal District Court for what amounted to receiving fees to represent a client while being wilfully blind that those monies were illegally gained by the client, his case proceeded to trial where he was acquitted on one count with the jury hung on the remaining three counts. When the government changed the rules, he was convicted in his second trial and sentenced to 52 months in Federal Prison. That experience gave him what no law degree can teach: firsthand knowledge of how the Bureau of Prisons operates. Bob used that time to help countless fellow prisoners defend their rights and navigate the system. Today, he brings that same relentless energy to prisoners, their lawyers and their families nationwide. Bob is currently working towards reinstating his law license.