Brandon Sample is a federal criminal defense attorney, author, and criminal justice reform advocate. He is licensed in Vermont and practices federal criminal law nationwide, with years of hands-on experience in federal courts.
Practice areas
Brandon’s practice covers federal criminal defense, federal appeals, federal post-conviction relief, federal civil rights litigation, federal administrative law, and the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA).
His federal work includes:
- Pre-trial and Trial
- Sentence Mitigation Strategies
- Federal Appeals
- 28 U.S.C. § 2255 Motions and 28 U.S.C. § 2241 Petitions
- 18 U.S.C. § 3582(c)(2) Motions
- Federal Prisoner Treaty Transfer Requests
- Federal Cooperation Assistance
- BOP Compassionate Release
- Presidential Pardon and Commutation Petitions
- Motions to Amend Supervised Release Conditions
- Early Termination of Supervised Release
Publications
Brandon Sample is the author of The Habeas Citebook: Ineffective Assistance of Counsel, first published in 2010.
The Habeas Citebook is a reference book for prisoners. It covers ineffective assistance of counsel, a claim that a defense lawyer’s mistakes hurt the case. It is one of the most common claims raised after conviction.
A second edition of The Habeas Citebook, co-authored with Alissa Hull, Esq., was published in 2016. The Habeas Citebook is available for purchase from Prison Legal News, a monthly magazine that covers prison and criminal justice issues across the United States.
Pardons and Commutations of Sentences
Brandon co-wrote Pardons and Commutations of Sentences: The Complete Guidebook to Applying for Clemency (February 2019). It is available on Amazon.
Brandon has written more than 100 articles on criminal justice topics for Prison Legal News.
In addition, Brandon has co-authored several articles for the Huffington Post on criminal justice issues.
Brandon is also a columnist for Criminal Legal News, a monthly publication that covers criminal court decisions from across the United States.
Community involvement
In 2013, Brandon founded Prisology, a national nonprofit that works to reform the U.S. criminal justice system.
In 2014, Prisology encouraged tens of thousands of people to support making a drug sentencing change retroactive for federal prisoners. That change is known as “drugs minus two” (U.S. Sentencing Guidelines Amendment 782, made retroactive by Amendment 788).
Brandon appeared before the U.S. Sentencing Commission in June 2014, and gave testimony in support of retroactive application of “drugs minus two.” You can read Brandon’s testimony. The Commission voted in July 2014 to make the change retroactive.
Prisology remains involved in criminal justice reform work, including litigation against the Federal Bureau of Prisons.
Media appearances
Brandon Sample has been a featured guest on Stateside, a Michigan NPR program.
Brandon has also participated in discussions and interviews on XM/Sirius satellite radio and other online radio shows.
Education
Juris Doctor, magna cum laude, Vermont Law School
B.A., Interdisciplinary Studies, summa cum laude, Adams State University
Professional associations
- American Bar Association
- National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers
- Federal Bar Association
- Vermont Trial Lawyers Association