Services

Christine will begin tenaciously working the case as early as the plea negotiation stage. As a former Federal Probation Officer she possesses valuable insight as to specific language placed in plea agreements that signal the United States Probation Office to apply certain sentencing enhancements including pseudo counts which frequently result in unforeseen higher sentences. Her expertise in this area will arm defense attorneys with the information they need when negotiating a plea agreement for their client

Following the plea negotiations, Christine will review discovery, court documents, and criminal history and prepare an advisory Sentencing Advisory Report (SAR). The SAR will contain advisory guideline calculations including the criminal history category and possible imprisonment range 

The SAR will give the attorney and the client an advisory sentencing report. Frequently attorneys and clients are thankful to have an anticipatory examination of how the Federal Sentencing guidelines will be applied to their case. 

After the initial PSR is disclosed by the United States Probation Office, Christine will carefully scrutinize the document to ensure the United states Probation office correctly applied the guidelines as she did for many years in a supervisory capacity in that office. Christine will also assist in drafting objections.

Christine will work with defense counsel and the client’s family to identify compelling variance factors under 18 U.S.C. § 3553, as well as relevant departure issues within Chapter 5 of the sentencing guidelines. The variance and departure factors can be presented to the court by the attorney to enable the sentencing judge to fashion the most favorable sentence possible. 

Finally, Christine will assist defense counsel with recommendations for proper placement within the Bureau of Prisons and recommend appropriate educational, treatment, and vocational programs for the client’s rehabilitation. Time off your sentence does not end at the sentencing hearing. Christine will educate counsel and the client about programs available within the Bureau of prisons that allow the client to cut time off the sentence imposed. 

"Over the course of my career I have had the occasion to work with Christine on several cases where she was the assigned probation officer, responsible for calculating Federal Sentencing Guidelines for my clients.  I have always been very impressed with her attention to detail, fairness in her calculations, and the support she gave for why she attributed or did not attribute factors that would affect a guideline.  Now that she is working as a consultant, I have used her on a number of cases and will continue to do so.  She never fails to bring up issues that prove valuable for my clients and she is also an excellent resource to bounce ideas off of.  She knows the guidelines, our Courts, and the people working within, very well from her twenty years working with US Probation.  Rest assured, Christine is the absolute best and will be an asset to any criminal case!”

"I have had the pleasure of using Christine Hatten  on my Federal criminal cases and I wouldn't consider doing one without her. Her expertise as a former Federal probation officer is invaluable in preparing clients for interviews and in helping draft objections to PSR's. My clients really like working with her. She instills a lot of confidence in them knowing she once worked as a supervisor in the local office." 

"I have utilized the services of Ms. Hatten in contentious civil and criminal cases throughout the federal districts of the United States, and I highly, highly recommend her services. She is incredibly quick to respond to short-notice requests for assistance. Her insight and advice are invaluable in highlighting issues that our firm should preemptively consider in plea agreement negotiations and motion practice. My firm utilizes her for our private and court-appointed clients, and she has direct impact on the outcome of our federal cases. She has, on more than one occasion, assisted our firm in cutting several years off of a client’s sentence. She is on our short list of experts and I enthusiastically recommend her services.” 

" If you are an attorney dealing with a very complicated federal sentencing guidelines issue, call Christine Hatten.  Christine was a federal probation officer for more than 20 years, and she understands the intricacies of the federal sentencing guidelines.  Christine is detail oriented, hardworking, and dependable.  She also takes pride in her work, which is probably why federal probation made her a supervisor.  Hire Christine with confidence." 

"The absolute BEST!!! That is the only way for me to describe Christine Hatten. She is smart, resourceful, and timely. With Christine's expertise, I know my clients are in the greatest position possible at sentencing."