About the Firm

Elizabeth Franklin-Best, P.C., is a federal criminal defense law firm. We represent individuals and businesses against the full weight of the United States government — in federal investigations, indictments, trials, and appeals. Our work spans every stage of a federal case: the first signs of scrutiny, the charging decision, trial and sentencing, and the appeals and post-conviction proceedings that can follow a conviction.

Federal criminal defense is its own discipline. It has its own rules, its own sentencing system, and deadlines that punish any misstep. That system rewards counsel who practice in it every day, and that is the practice we have chosen. Our core is white-collar and financial crime defense; our coverage spans the federal criminal code; and our defining strength is federal appeals and post-conviction relief. That focus has earned national recognition, including a Chambers USA 2026 ranking for Litigation: White-Collar Crime & Government Investigations and a Best Lawyers in America 2026 listing in Appellate Practice.

If you are facing a federal criminal case or investigation, we can provide a clear, honest read on where it stands. We offer a paid, one-hour initial consultation to review the case and your realistic options.

About Elizabeth Franklin-Best, P.C.

Elizabeth Franklin-Best, P.C., is a federal criminal defense firm based in Columbia, South Carolina. We represent clients in United States District Courts and Courts of Appeals across the country. Elizabeth Franklin-Best, our principal attorney, leads the firm’s federal trial, appellate, and post-conviction practice, supported by a team devoted entirely to federal criminal defense.

We built the firm around a single, overarching principle: when someone is charged with a federal criminal offense, they require an attorney who doesn’t divide their time and exclusively represents clients in federal criminal courts. As a federal criminal law firm, we keep our work narrow on purpose. We do not divide our attention between state matters and federal cases — federal criminal defense is the whole of what we do, and that focus shapes how we evaluate, prepare, and argue every matter. Our federal criminal defense hub maps the full range of that practice.

Our clients come to us at different moments. Some are under federal investigation and have not yet been charged. Others are preparing for trial or sentencing. Many are already convicted and are weighing a direct appeal or a post-conviction motion. We also serve as appellate and post-conviction counsel for defendants whose cases were first handled by other lawyers. A fresh, independent review of the record is often where new options appear.

A Federal and Appellate Focus

In federal criminal practice, the stakes are often much higher than in state practice. These cases are governed by the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure and the United States Sentencing Guidelines, and are subject to strict deadlines for trial, appeal, and collateral review. The investigations behind federal charges tend to be long, well-funded, and methodical. A federal conviction carries consequences — imprisonment, supervised release, forfeiture, and lasting collateral effects — that reach well beyond the courtroom.

The White-Collar Core of Our Practice

Our practice grew out of white-collar and financial crime defense, and that work remains its core. We defend against the full range of federal fraud and financial offenses, including wire fraud, mail fraud, bank fraud, securities fraud, and healthcare fraud, as well as tax crimes, money laundering, and public corruption. The obstruction and false statement charges that so often accompany those cases are part of the same work. As a white collar defense firm with broad federal experience, we also represent clients in federal drug, firearms, and other serious matters. Our white-collar criminal defense hub sets out that practice in detail.

Our Appellate and Post-Conviction Strength

Within federal practice, our defining strength is appellate and post-conviction work. These proceedings are technical, record-intensive, and unforgiving of a missed deadline, and they are where we do some of our most demanding work. Three areas anchor that part of the practice:

• Federal Criminal Appeals: direct appeals to the United States Courts of Appeals, which test the trial record and the legal rulings made below.
• Post-Conviction Relief: collateral challenges to a conviction or sentence, including motions under 28 U.S.C. § 2255 and petitions for a writ of habeas corpus.
• Compassionate Release: motions to reduce an already-imposed federal sentence based on extraordinary and compelling reasons.

Applied Insight: In an appeal, the trial record controls. Arguments that were not raised, objected to, or preserved in the district court can be difficult — and sometimes impossible — to raise afterward. That reality is why seasoned appellate judgment can matter long before a verdict, and why effective post-conviction review depends on a careful, line-by-line reading of everything that came before.

Our Record in the Federal Courts

Experience in this field is measured by the courtrooms you have actually stood in. Across her career, our principal attorney, Elizabeth Franklin-Best, has handled more than 330 federal proceedings — including over 100 federal appeals — spanning the United States District Courts, the United States Courts of Appeals, and the certiorari stage of the Supreme Court of the United States. That record reaches into twelve of the thirteen federal courts of appeals, with its deepest roots in the Fourth Circuit and the District of South Carolina, where the firm is based and where much of its trial, habeas, and capital post-conviction work has unfolded.

A meaningful share of that work has produced published opinions — decisions that now sit in the federal and state reporters as a matter of public record. We offer two as illustrations of the body of work, not as predictions about any future case. In Aiken v. Byars, 410 S.C. 534, 765 S.E.2d 572 (2014), our principal attorney served as counsel in a landmark resentencing matter applying Miller v. Alabama to juvenile sentences — the sentencing and mitigation advocacy that runs through our practice. In United States v. Slager, 912 F.3d 224 (4th Cir. 2019), she served as appellate counsel in a closely watched federal sentencing appeal before the Fourth Circuit. These are matters of public record; they describe the firm’s experience and are not a guarantee of any particular result.

That depth carries directly into the proceedings most clients reach us for: federal appeals, motions under 28 U.S.C. § 2255, federal habeas corpus, and compassionate release. Our principal attorney maintains a nationwide federal post-conviction practice, appearing pro hac vice across the country, and our representative federal matters page sets out the range of cases this experience covers. Each case is unique, and past results do not guarantee future outcomes — but a firm’s history in these courts is a fair measure of the judgment it brings to the next one.

Credentials and Recognition

Standing in federal court is the foundation of everything we do, and that reputation is earned court by court. Elizabeth Franklin-Best has practiced federal criminal defense and appellate law for more than two decades. Her admissions and recognition reflect a career built within the federal system:

• Admitted to practice before the Supreme Court of the United States and twelve of the thirteen United States Courts of Appeals.
• Holds admission in seven United States District Courts — the District of South Carolina, the District of Maryland, the Southern District of Texas, the Northern District of Ohio, the Eastern District of Michigan, the Northern District of Illinois, and the District of Columbia — and appears in additional districts through pro hac vice admission, from Montana to Florida.
• Member of the South Carolina Bar and the New York State Bar.
• Recognized by Best Lawyers in America in 2026 for Appellate Practice.
• Ranked by Chambers USA in 2026 for Litigation: White-Collar Crime & Government Investigations.
• Author of Reversing Your Criminal Conviction, a practical guide to the federal appeal and post-conviction process.
• Named South Carolina Public Defender of the Year in 2010.

Admission to a federal court is distinct from a state license, and the difference matters. Admission to a United States District Court is a standing authorization to appear before that particular court. Pro hac vice admission allows a qualified attorney to appear in a single case in a district where they are not a standing member — a routine, well-established feature of national federal practice. Our federal courts directory explains our relationship to each U.S. District Court and Court of Appeals, and offers more information about the firm and our experience.

How We Work With Clients

Our work begins with a complete review of the matter — the facts, the record, the charges or the conviction, and the realistic paths forward. We give every client a candid assessment rather than easy reassurance. Honest counsel delivered early allows a person to make sound decisions about a federal case.

The Initial Consultation

We start every case with a detailed case review during a paid, one-hour initial consultation. It is a genuine working session with our team — a substantive evaluation of the record, the issues, and your options — not a sales call. In that hour, we evaluate where the case stands, identify the issues that will drive it, and explain the options as we see them. You leave with a clear, professional understanding of your situation, whether or not you retain the firm.

If we do work together, our representation is built on clear communication and disciplined preparation. We explain each significant decision before it is made, we keep clients informed as a matter moves, and we prepare every case — whether it resolves in a plea, a trial, or an appeal — as though it will be tested. The kinds of federal cases we handle are summarized on our Representative Federal Matters page.

Applied Insight: One of the most valuable aspects a federal defense firm can offer early is an accurate picture of where a case actually stands. Decisions made during an investigation, before a plea, or in the days just after a judgment tend to shape everything that follows — and the window to make those life-altering decisions is often short.

The People Behind Our Firm

Our firm is intentionally small. A focused team means the people who evaluate your case are the same people who carry it forward, and that every matter receives senior attention from start to finish. You can read more about each member of the Elizabeth Franklin-Best, P.C., team at the following links:

• Elizabeth Franklin-Best, Esq. — Principal Attorney, who leads our federal trial, appellate, and post-conviction practice.
• Christopher Zoukis, JD, MBA — Managing Director and a widely recognized authority on federal prison policy and the Federal Bureau of Prisons.
• LaDonna Falvey — Lead Paralegal and Firm Administrator, who manages case records and the daily progress of every matter.
• Kimberly Zoukis — Operations Manager, who coordinates scheduling, client communication, and firm operations.

Visit the Our Team page for a complete overview of the Elizabeth Franklin-Best P.C. team and how we work together.

Frequently Asked Questions About Elizabeth Franklin-Best, P.C.

Talk With a Federal Criminal Defense Lawyer

If you are facing a federal investigation or charge — or weighing a direct appeal or a post-conviction petition — the next step is a clear, professional read on your situation. Book a paid, one-hour initial consultation today to review your case and map the path forward.