UC News

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

headshot of Cedric Ricks By Cedric Ricks 260-415-8554
2 minute read May 30, 2023

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.

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