WLWT: How one of Ohio’s newest lawyers went from federal prison to UC Law
UC Law alum Damon Davis is helping individuals without representation navigate the justice system
Damon Davis took the oath for the Ohio Bar Admissions this month and is now a Hamilton County public defender.
Davis, a 2022 graduate of UC Law, spoke with WLWT-TV about his journey from former federal prison inmate to accomplished attorney. Davis spent four-and-a-half years behind bars after being convicted of federal drug and gun charges in 2017.
He was introduced to law while working in the prison library. Davis was released homeless and with only $26 to his name before finding a factory job that reimbursed his college tuition and offered a path forward. Davis attended community college and later the University of Kentucky for a bachelor’s degree. He completed UC Law with scholarship assistance.
“It means a lot to be here and be able to help these people,” Davis told WLWT. “To understand what they're going through and to have faced personally the things they're going through.”
While at UC Law Davis was an Ohio Innocence Project (OIP) fellow who wrote appeals for individuals in the prison system. Now a freshly-minted public defender, Davis is making a positive difference in his community.
Listen to the WLWT segment.
Read a digital story on WLWT’s website.
Spectrum News also produced a segment on Davis.
See a story on Davis from Court News Ohio.
Learn more about Damon Davis at UC Law.
Featured image at top: Damon Davis. Photo/UC Alumni Association.
Related Stories
Ohio looks to fast-track wastewater discharge permits
December 16, 2025
Bradford Mank, James B. Helmer Jr. Professor of Law at the University of Cincinnati, spoke with WVXU for a story about a proposal by the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency to streamline the way wastewater discharge permits are issued to data centers.
Tariff troubles for online shoppers
December 16, 2025
This year’s new regulations on tariffs and customs are leaving holiday shoppers with unexpected fees on some of their purchases, according to recent reporting by WLWT. Associate Dean of Impact and Partnerships for the University of Cincinnati’s Lindner College of Business Charles Sox spoke to WLWT about why shoppers are only just now feeling the impact, despite these policies being in effect for months.
Tips to avoid headaches this holiday season
December 15, 2025
A University of Cincinnati migraine expert offered a list of potential headache triggers around the holidays, and how you can try to avoid them, to 91.7 WVXU News. "There are a number of different factors that make this a very headache provocative time," said Vincent Martin, MD, professor of clinical medicine at the University of Cincinnati's College of Medicine and director of the Headache and Facial Pain Center at the Gardner Neuroscience Institute.