Born in Boston, Massachusetts, on June 11, 1956, Jeffrey Grant built a name for himself in New York’s high-stakes real estate and business law circles. His firm flourished, employing more than 20 people and handling multimillion-dollar transactions for some of the region’s biggest property developers and brokerages.
His expertise was so highly regarded that he served as outside General Counsel for prominent real estate firms, skillfully navigating acquisitions, financing, and complex litigation. By all outward appearances, Grant was a model of success.
But beneath the polished surface, the foundation of his life was cracking. Addiction had taken hold.
A sports injury led him to a prescription for painkillers—first as a necessity, then as a dependency. OxyContin, a drug that was aggressively marketed in the late 1990s as a “safe” solution for pain management, became a daily presence in his life. As the addiction deepened, so did its grip on his judgment. His personal and professional decisions became clouded, and the once-meticulous attorney began making costly mistakes.
Then, in the aftermath of 9/11, his life took a dramatic turn. Seeking financial stability for his practice, Grant misrepresented information on an SBA loan application. It was an act of desperation, fueled by stress and addiction, and it did not go unnoticed. Federal authorities charged him with fraud, leading to a swift and sobering reckoning.
In 2006, Grant was sentenced to 18 months in federal prison.
For most people, such a fall from grace would mark the end of their professional identity. The loss of his law license, the damage to his reputation, and the trauma of incarceration could have led to years of bitterness and regret. But Grant took a different path.
Prison, as it turned out, became a crucible for transformation.
The Turning Point: Recovery and Reflection
His legal troubles stripped Grant of everything he had built—but in that void, he found something deeper. In the time leading up to his prison sentence, he confronted his addiction head-on, committing to sobriety and self-examination. The forced separation from his career, his status, and even the substances that had controlled his life gave him space to reflect on his mistakes, and the man he wanted to become.
By the time he was released, Grant had a clear sense of purpose: he was going to rebuild, but not in the way he had before. His new path would be guided by service, ethics, and a commitment to helping others who had walked a similar road.
The first step in his reinvention was immersing himself in recovery and social impact work. He threw himself into volunteering, dedicating time to nonprofit organizations that supported individuals coming out of the criminal justice system. Through this work, he began to see the vast, often invisible struggles of white-collar offenders. While much attention was given to violent crimes and the traditional reentry process, little support existed for professionals who had lost everything due to financial crimes. The stigma was different—often silent but no less punishing.
Grant Finds a New Calling: Ministry and Community Support
Determined to turn his experience into something constructive, Grant pursued further education, enrolling at Union Theological Seminary in New York City. There, he earned a Master of Divinity, deepening his understanding of ethics, redemption, and the role of faith in recovery.
His studies weren’t just academic; they were deeply personal. He had lived the reality of making poor choices, serving time, and then struggling to reenter society. Now, he wanted to use those experiences to guide others. After graduating, Grant became an Associate Minister and Director of Prison Ministries at an inner-city church in Bridgeport, Connecticut. In this role, he worked directly with people who were facing incarceration, had just been released, or were struggling to find their footing in a society that often saw them as irredeemable.
But Grant knew that support needed to go beyond traditional reentry programs. In 2016, he co-founded Progressive Prison Ministries, launching the White Collar Support Group—the first-ever support network for executives and professionals facing white-collar prosecutions and imprisonment.
Leading a Movement for Second Chances
What started as a small initiative quickly grew into a national movement. The White Collar Support Group became a vital resource for individuals whose lives had been upended by financial crimes, offering weekly Zoom meetings where members could connect, share their struggles, and support one another. The group has since held more than 450 meetings, with over 1300 participants.
The impact of the group goes beyond emotional support. It has reshaped the conversation around white-collar crime, challenging the perception that financial offenders are inherently irredeemable. Many members of the group, like Grant himself, have gone on to build new careers, advocate for criminal justice reform, and help others navigate the difficult road to rebuilding their lives. The group also advocates for important policy changes like a felon’s right to banking and federal expungement reform.
Grant’s work through Progressive Prison Ministries and the White Collar Support Group positioned him as a thought leader on justice reform, reentry, and the societal challenges of professional disgrace. His message was clear: No one should be defined by the worst thing they have done.
Returning to the Law With a New Mission
By 2018, Grant had been sober for almost two decades and had spent years helping others navigate the realities of post-incarceration life. But there was still one piece of unfinished business: his law career.
Rather than seeing the loss of his license as a permanent disqualification, he saw it as a test of resilience. He applied for reinstatement, armed with a track record of service, transformation, and a compelling case for why he was not the same man who had been disbarred.
In May 2021, the Supreme Court of the State of New York reinstated his law license. It was an extraordinary moment—one that few disbarred attorneys ever achieve. But for Grant, it was not about personal redemption alone; it was about what he could do with his legal knowledge now that he had lived through the system himself.
With that, he launched GrantLaw, PLLC, a boutique law firm dedicated to providing wraparound private general counsel services for individuals and businesses facing white-collar prosecutions and regulatory investigations.
Unlike traditional defense firms, GrantLaw brings a holistic approach to legal crises—helping clients make critical, timely decisions that balance legal strategy with the realities of their personal and professional lives.
In his new firm, Grant serves a role that is part law, part air traffic controller, and part therapist.
“I love being the first call when someone is arrested for a white collar crime,” shared Grant, “Because it offers the greatest opportunity to make a real impact.”
A Legacy of Resilience
Today, Jeff Grant’s story is not just one of survival, but of reinvention. He has transformed the pain of his past into a platform for change, helping others navigate the treacherous waters of white-collar prosecution, incarceration, and reentry. His work is a testament to the idea that no setback—no matter how devastating—has to be the end of the road.
His journey has taken him from the heights of legal success to the depths of addiction and prison, and now, back to a thriving career built on compassion, ethics, and advocacy.
In a world quick to judge and slow to forgive, Grant has carved out a path that challenges conventional notions of redemption.
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