My name is Keith Wattley, and I founded UnCommon Law in 2006 to develop a new way for attorneys and other advocates to help prisoners and their supporters get through some of the most difficult times of their lives. We provide a professional and personal level of service as we advise and represent clients in various legal matters, including parole consideration (lifer) hearings, parole revocation proceedings, prison classification, discipline and safety matters. We handle both administrative proceedings and court challenges to unlawful state conduct. If you want the best chance for your loved one to be granted parole or to win release through the courts, we can help you.
This site will explain various aspects of the parole consideration process in terms that are easy to understand. Bookmark this page so that you can come back and keep up with the issues affecting California prisoners (especially Lifers) and their families.
WE HELP LIFERS GET OUT OF PRISON. As you will see below, our office represents prisoners in many different types of cases. However, the overwhelming majority of our work focuses on prisoners serving life sentences with the possibility of parole. I have been advocating for California prisoners and parolees for thirteen years, and my associate, Thomas Master, is an experienced Lifer attorney who is also fluent in Spanish. At UnCommon Law, we have been raising the quality of representation for Lifers fighting for another chance to rejoin their families and communities. Since we understand how difficult it can be for prisoners and their families to afford quality legal representation, we are doing our best to give Lifers affordable access to justice. We have successfully forced the Board of Parole Hearings to eliminate the backlog of nearly 4,000 overdue hearings and to reduce more than 700 parole denials since the unconstitutional Marsy’s Law. We regularly represent prisoners in their individual hearings before the Board, but we are proud to say that we have never been hired by the Board to represent Lifers in their hearings. We work for Lifers; not for the Board.
WE KNOW THE PAROLE BOARD BETTER THAN ANYONE ELSE. We have collected data on every prisoner and every commissioner (rate of granting parole, lengths of denials, trends, etc.) in every single parole hearing for the past ten years – nearly 60,000 hearings in all. We have also represented thousands of Lifers in various legal and administrative actions against the Board and the Governor.
WE HANDLE PAROLE HEARINGS AND RESCISSION HEARINGS. Our clients have been granted parole at their initial (yes, it does happen if you’re prepared) and subsequent parole hearings, and they have kept their dates in rescission hearings. Our fees for parole hearings begin as low as $2,500. We meet with our clients as often as necessary (but at least twice before hearing day) to prepare them for hearings. We thoroughly review central files (not just the Board Packets provided by the institution), and we work with clients and their supporters to put together the best possible case in support of parole. Our representation ensures that our clients have a solid record they can use in court if the Board denies them parole or if the Governor reverses a parole grant.
WE HANDLE WRITS CHALLENGING THE BOARD AND THE GOVERNOR. We represent dozens of Lifers in their state and federal writs, and we have had many clients obtain orders for their release and orders for new hearings when their rights have been violated. We can be retained for a flat fee to represent clients through all levels of state and federal court. We provide a detailed written explanation of the fees associated with each step of the process, so there are no surprises for our clients. We can also prepare a Lifer’s petition for a flat fee of $3,000 and request to be appointed (and paid) by the court to represent clients after that. Courts are required to appoint a lawyer if an Order to Show Cause is issued; however, we cannot guarantee that we would be the attorneys appointed in your case, even though we help clients request it.
WE’LL KEEP YOU INFORMED. Under the Tabs above, we provide valuable information and resources that will help you navigate through the unfamiliar world of the parole consideration process. This includes our free Guide to Lifer Support Letters, which will help you understand what you should and should not include in your letters supporting a Lifer’s release on parole.
In addition, because we are involved in dozens of cases in state and federal courts, we are always aware of the most recent developments and how various court decisions impact the lives of California prisoners.
WE’LL CREATE A PATHWAY TO RELEASE. Whether our clients’ parole hearings are six months away or 20 years away, we work with them to develop a plan that will increase their chances of being released on parole as early as possible.
WE’LL COME TO YOU. From our office in Oakland, we travel across the state to meet with families, church groups and other support groups (free of charge), providing them with answers to their questions about the parole consideration process and other legal issues impacting Lifers, including those serving “Three Strike” sentences. We also learn what is most important to prisoners’ families and other supporters so that we can be more effective in advocating for them. If you are involved in a support group, church group or civic group interested in learning more about prison issues, please invite us to meet with you for free.
Thank you for visiting us. We truly want to be your partners in the pursuit of justice.
Keith Wattley,
Managing Attorney
