White Collar Conference

The White Collar Conference is an annual virtual conference organized by the White Collar Support Group, a nonprofit peer support organization serving individuals prosecuted for white-collar crimes and their families.

Launched in 2024, the conference represents the first event of its kind specifically designed by and for people affected by white-collar prosecution. The conference addresses challenges faced by justice-impacted individuals, including social isolation, employment barriers, mental health concerns, and pathways to personal and professional restoration.

Background

The White Collar Conference emerged from the work of the White Collar Support Group, founded in 2016 by Jeff Grant, a white-collar attorney who served fourteen months in federal prison for SBA loan fraud committed in 2001. Unlike traditional legal conferences focusing on practice of law or corporate governance, the White Collar Conference centers on personal and professional rehabilitation of those convicted, as well as their families and support networks. The conference was developed in response to statistics showing that approximately 49 percent of federal offenders are rearrested within eight years of release, with high recidivism rates attributed partly to difficulties reintegrating into society, including unemployment, social stigma, mental health concerns, and ongoing legal and financial issues. The conference addresses several recurring themes in white-collar criminal justice:

Isolation and Community: A central focus of the conference is combating the isolation that accompanies white-collar prosecution. Conference founder Jeff Grant has stated that isolation often begins before incarceration, as individuals lose professional relationships, social connections, and sometimes family support upon arrest or indictment. Employment and Professional Restoration: The conference has featured multiple sessions addressing the barriers to employment faced by individuals with criminal records, including exclusion from professional licensing, difficulty obtaining banking services, and employer reluctance to hire formerly incarcerated individuals. Legal Reform: The conference has promoted discussion of federal expungement legislation and other policy reforms that could provide pathways to record relief for individuals who have completed their sentences. Personal Responsibility and Accountability: The conference philosophy emphasizes taking responsibility for past actions while working toward personal transformation. The White Collar Support Group describes its mission as helping individuals "take responsibility, make amends, and move forward in a new way of life centered on hope, care, compassion, tolerance and empathy."

Format

The White Collar Conference is held virtually via Zoom, typically on a Saturday morning in October, running from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. Eastern Time. The three-hour program features keynote addresses, fireside chat interviews, panel discussions, and video presentations. Most speakers and panelists have personal experience with prosecution or incarceration for white-collar offenses. The conference is open to justice-impacted individuals, family members, friends, legal practitioners, policymakers, academics, and members of the general public.

White Collar Conference 2024

The inaugural White Collar Conference was held on October 19, 2024, with the theme "Starting Over: Out of Isolation and Into Community." The conference drew hundreds of attendees from around the justice-impacted community.

Opening and Keynote

Author and coach Craig Stanland served as conference emcee, with opening remarks from Jeff Grant. The keynote fireside chat featured entrepreneur David Israel, founder and CEO of GOOD PLANeT Foods, interviewed by Brent Cassity, host of the Nightmare Success podcast. Israel discussed his journey from incarceration to building one of the fastest-growing plant-based cheese companies in the United States.

Panels

The conference featured three panel discussions addressing different aspects of navigating the white-collar criminal justice system.

Out of Isolation

The first panel, moderated by Bill Baroni, former New Jersey State Senator whose conviction in the "Bridgegate" scandal was unanimously overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court in 2020, examined how individuals can move from isolation into community support. Panelists included Erika Cheung, Theranos whistleblower and executive director of Ethics in Entrepreneurship; Elizabeth Kelley, criminal defense attorney; and Seth Williams, former Philadelphia District Attorney who served time in federal prison for bribery.

Healing Through a Supportive Community

The second panel, moderated by author and licensed professional counselor William Sansing, focused on emotional and psychological recovery. Panelists included Fr. Joseph Ciccone, a Franciscan priest and graduate of Union Theological Seminary; Naia Wilson, an educator who received the 2017 Title One Distinguished School Award and the 2012 EdVestors School on the Move Prize for her work dismantling the school-to-prison pipeline; and Portia Louder, author and TEDx speaker who wrote about her prison experience in Living Louder: A Compassionate Journey Through Federal Prison.

Careers and Reintegrating into Society

The third panel, moderated by Jeff Grant, addressed employment and professional restoration after conviction. Panelists included Kaysia Earley, criminal defense attorney; Jeffrey Abramowitz, nonprofit CEO; and Jeff Wertkin, former government lawyer turned nonprofit executive.

Video Presentations

The conference premiered video segments including a presentation on reputation management by Drew Chapin of The Discoverability Company and a video on entrepreneurship after prison.

Sponsorship

The 2024 conference was sponsored by Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP, named the New York Law Journal 2024 Law Firm of the Year.

White Collar Conference 2025

The second annual White Collar Conference was held on October 11, 2025. Building on the inaugural event's focus on personal restoration, reputation rebuilding, legal reform, and faith-based healing, the 2025 conference expanded its programming to include discussions of federal expungement policy and presidential clemency.

Keynote Address

CNN legal analyst Jeffrey Toobin delivered the keynote address, discussing his book The Pardon: The Politics of Presidential Mercy (Simon & Schuster, 2025), which examines the history and controversies surrounding presidential clemency power.

Fireside Chat: Joe Bankman

Brent Cassity conducted a fireside chat with Joe Bankman, Stanford Law School professor and father of Sam Bankman-Fried, founder of the collapsed cryptocurrency exchange FTX. Bankman discussed the impact of his son's high-profile prosecution on his family.

Panels

Pardons and Expungement

A panel moderated by Jeff Grant brought together leading scholars involved in the Federal Expungement Initiative, a coalition advocating for congressional legislation to create a federal expungement process. Panelists included Professor Mark Osler of the University of St. Thomas School of Law (Minnesota), a former federal prosecutor and co-founder of the Clemency Resource Center; Professor Doug Berman of The Ohio State University Moritz College of Law; and Professor Todd Haugh of the Indiana University Kelley School of Business, who serves as Director of the Institute for Corporate Governance and Ethics. The panel addressed the distinction between presidential pardons, which provide forgiveness but leave criminal records intact, and expungement, which would seal or remove records entirely. Unlike many state systems, federal law currently offers no statutory path to expungement.

Restoring Our Dignity

The final panel, titled "Restoring Our Dignity" and moderated by Drew Chapin, featured White Collar Support Group members sharing their personal experiences with restoration through community support. Panelists included Pamela Winn, Michael Gaines, and Gina Pendergraph.

Research Presentation

Professor Erin Frey of the Yale School of Management presented early findings from the Professional and Personal Restoration Study, research examining how individuals who have experienced justice-related setbacks rebuild their lives personally and professionally. The study is being conducted in partnership with the White Collar Support Group.

Conference Leadership

Jeff Grant served as conference host, with Drew Chapin as co-host and Craig Stanland returning as emcee.

Sponsorship

Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP returned as lead sponsor for the 2025 conference. Additional sponsors included the American Bar Association Criminal Justice Section, the Women's White Collar Defense Association, the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners, and the Legal Action Center.

White Collar Conference 2026

In November 2025, the White Collar Support Group announced that the third annual White Collar Conference would take place on October 10, 2026. Speakers and panel topics had not been announced at the time of the announcement.

See also

• White Collar Support Group
• Jeff Grant
• Federal Expungement Initiative
• Expungement

Nightmare Success Guides

• White-Collar Cases: Common Triggers and Early Mistakes — Common escalation patterns and the early-stage discipline that limits damage.
• Reentry (criminal justice)

External links

• White Collar Conference official website
• White Collar Support Group official website
• Federal Expungement Initiative