A decorated attorney and activist, Brittany K. Barnett has been named one of America's most Outstanding Young Lawyers by the American Bar Association, and was on the 2019 list of Essence's "Woke 100." Contact us to learn more about booking Brittany K. Barnett for your next event. AMAZON EDITORS' PICK FOR THE BEST BOOK OF 2020. In 2020, she founded Manifest Freedom, an organization that helps to provide resources and capital to once-incarcerated people. We cant just keep rescuing people from prison and restoring them to poverty. I really wanted the South to shine in the book. U.S. District Judge Jorge Solis ultimately calculated her sentence to be 46 years without parole, effectively a life sentence. There are so many forms of trauma I never realized were happening to me, my family and my community. Through the organization, Barkent has been able to fight for clemency for prisoners like Alice Johnson and by 2020 the organization had successfully litigated more than 40 people. It seemed like an accepted part of life, like, This is just the way it is. It wasnt until I got to college that I realized how powerful it was. And thats the beautiful part of our journey. Chris was a catalyst and became a poster child for my issues and the federal justice system. Barnett ultimately ditched a career in corporate law to represent nonviolent drug offenders full-time. Under the federal Three Strike law, defendants receive mandatory life imprisonment without the possibility of parole if they have three federal convictions for serious violent felonies or crimes related to drug trafficking. All FAN programs are free and open to the public. 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Even with all of that, I still love East Texas. More recently, she was part of the legal team that helped secure clemency from President Trump for Alice Johnson. And we did. In September of 2020, we actually had a huge victory in the court and got Chris life sentence reduced to 14 years, and that was amazing in and of itself. BKB: No, it hasnt changed. She shares stories of the innovation languishing in America's prisons -- and a vision for investing in people whose unjust sentences . Ive always felt the heartbeat of the people behind bars, but writing the book really gave me that time to be, like, wow, this country is locking up the very ingenuity our nation needs to thrive. When youre in it, you dont see how bad it is. It was also a time for me to reflect on the work Ive done as a corporate lawyer and working on these federal drug cases pro bono. One time she wrote about sports. Mandatory minimum sentences forced judges to dole out extreme punishments for crack cocaine possession, disproportionately affecting Black Americans. And I wrote the book to recognize the people. Theyve each left their fingerprints on my soul. And I would be remiss not to say that financial resources are always needed to get more people free and break more chains. So uncovering that issue and really pounding the pavement to get this motion in front of the court really the best way possible, that was the highlight of the case process for me. She then went to Winstead PC in the Finance & Banking Practice Group. Attorney and entrepreneur Brittany K. Barnett fights to free people from prison and champions restoring and nurturing the creative ingenuity of justice-impacted people. [12] The effort resulted in 17 persons being released under provisions of the First Step Act. Theres something we all can do to help make a difference, just by finding what speaks to our hearts. Brittany K. Barnett is an American attorney and criminal justice reform advocate. Putting a Chris Young in prison for life does not make any more safer. Eligible to Practice in Texas Bar Card Number: 24078196 TX License Date: 11/04/2011 Primary Practice Location: Dallas , Texas 3400 Oak Grove Ave Ste 370 Dallas, TX 75204-2335 Practice Areas: None Reported By Attorney Statutory Profile Last Certified On: 03/03 . Only two of us. Barnett is also in the process of launching a venture capital fund to ensure formerly incarcerated people have access to capital and resources so they can have what she calls "life after life." Not only are Jones and Jacobs partners in the nonprofit, but Barnett says they're an inspiration to her and leading examples of a greater cultural transformation. Also learn about how she is rich at the age of 49 years old? Brittany K. Barnett: The writing process for me was therapeutic, in a sense, because I start with my childhood story of growing up as a Black girl in rural East Texas and dealing with the challenges of having a mother who was addicted to drugs and dealing with her ultimate incarceration. Barnett is also the founder of Girls Embracing Mothers, a non-profit organization that provides support for girls with mothers in prison. She was set to never breathe free air again, and she was the one encouraging me. With every freedom we secure, were pushing forward a movement of people and power and dignity that is going to have a ripple effect on anyone they may positively impact in the future.. October 28, 2020 2 Brittany Barnett. So it had this racially biased impact, and I think that thats how we got here. Through her recently published memoir, A Knock at Midnight, Brittany K. Barnett takes readers inside the U.S. criminal justice system and shows the devastating effects of the War on Drugs, both from the perspective of the daughter of a woman who was once incarcerated and that of a successful civil rights lawyer. BKB: The transition was one of a lot of uncertainty. While working as a corporate lawyer moving multi-million dollar deals by day, by night Brittany worked to secure freedom for numerous people buried alive under outdated federal drug laws. Ms. Bishop is the sister of Nancy Bishop Langert, who was murdered in 1990 along with her husband and their unborn baby. 2 Roosevelt Steptoe Dr.| Baton Rouge, LA 70813 P: 225.771.2552|F: 225.771.2474, Chancellor's Welcome Office of External Affairs Strategic Plan Office of Equity, Inclusion, and Title IX I think all the time, How do I bridge the gap for my clients? 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Barnett attorney. February 2023Print And DigitalOn Sale Now. In her riveting debut,A Knock at Midnight:A Story of Hope, Justice, and Freedom,Ms. Barnett sharesthe powerful story of her awakening to the inhumanity of Americas criminal justice system and her ongoing fight to unlock the human potential trapped senselessly behind bars. And it looks different here. investor. She credits her mothers own incarceration with teaching her that persons in prison were often treated as unworthy of any compassion or concern. After graduation, she worked for accounting firm PricewaterhouseCoopers as a CPA, and studied for her LSAT. lawyer. Youngs journey behind bars began when he was just 18-years-old. But it is, at its heart, hopeful, offering a way forward from the painful realities it illuminates. The Dallas Cowboys Used to Sell NFL Dynasties. I just want to tell people that humanity is one of the greatest creations and is one of the greatest species. They understand that. She is dedicated to transforming the criminal justice system and has won freedom for numerous people serving life sentences for federal drug offenses-including seven clients who received executive clemency from President Barack Obama. [8] The graduate students provide research and work on the individual cases. Practice Areas: None Reported By Attorney. Election: Two stepping forward, three stepping back, Lies of All Sizes: The story of Justin Costellos $35 million fraud, California companies debut new Scratch n Sniff stickers on packaging, Federal and provincial governments announce $7.5 million fund for indigenous cannabis. Mass incarceration is, to me, the most pressing civil rights issue of our time. Dallas, TX 75204-2335. She is dedicated to transforming the criminal justice system and has won freedom for numerous clients serving life sentences for federal drug offenses-seven of whom who received executive clemency from President Barack Obama. BKB: I think one of the ways they can help bring justice is to educate themselves about the law and how the system works, whether through reading my book or other books like Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson or The New Jim Crow by Michelle Alexander or even watching Ava DuVernays amazing documentary called 13th on Netflix. Her background was not all that pleasing as she was a victim of poor parenting. Barnett ultimately ditched a career in corporate law to represent nonviolent drug offenders full-time. We can get into ways of making prisons more comfortable, but the most important thing is releasing people. Her work has been featured in many news and print media. she is one of famous attorney and criminal justice reform advocate with the age 19 years old group. MV: How did the United States as a country get to where were at right now, with 1,300 to 1,500 people serving life in prison for drug crimes? She claims that laws in the United States unjustly put some people in prison whereas better systems would be used to improve their lives. 1718 Sherman Ave., Ste. Ms. Barnett will be interviewed by Jeanne Bishop, assistant public defender in the Cook County Public Defender's Office and adjunct professor at Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law. The program works to empower girls with mothers in prison. Chris Young said he plans on working with Barnett on other justice reform projects in the future. He made a From Fulbright to the White House, the beautifully written, often haunting. TM: On social media, youve been candid about the struggles youve faced getting funding for your organization, Buried Alive. Barnett has worked to get 11 clients freed from federal prison through presidential clemency or presidential pardon in the past six years. As an SMU law student interning in a Houston court, Barnett had a front-row seat to the horrors created by the mandatory minimum laws sending generations of Black Texans to federal prison. Heres What We Want at the Park. Under President Ronald Reagan, the federal government poured more money and resources into prosecuting drug offenders than ever before. Marijuana Venture 4000 Airport Way S. Seattle, WA 98108, @2020 - All Right Reserved. Barnett attended The University of Texas at Arlington, earning a bachelors degree in 2005 and a masters degree in 2006 in accounting. "[22], Trenton Copeland was profiled in Rolling Stone magazine for his petition for clemency to President Obama after receiving a life sentence for three nonviolent drug offenses. She is dedicated to transforming the criminal justice system and has won freedom for numerous people serving fundamental death sentences for federal drug offenses including seven clients who received executive clemency from President Barack Obama. We didnt know how the Trump administration was going to treat criminal justice issues or prioritize criminal justice issues, but I am blessed to have been a part of the legal team for Alice Johnson, who was one of the first people to receive clemency from Donald Trump. Bogota. Were also partnering with law firms that will take these cases pro bono so that we can scale and provide more impact. Her mother was a crack cocaine addict. I tell everyone: find the area that youre most passionate about, whether its bail reform, whether its marijuana justice, whether its sentencing reform or parole and probation. Policies at the time allowed the judge to add "enhancements" to her sentence, including her legal license to carry a concealed weapon credited as "furtherance of drug conspiracy," her testimony in her own defense credited as "obstruction of justice," and weight conversion of powder cocaine to crack cocaine (which carried higher sentences). Through the organization Buried Alive, which she co-founded with Sharanda Jones and Corey Jacobs, she came to national attention when she and her co-counsel, MiAngel Cody, litigated the release of 17 people in 90 days. While researching a paper on how race impacted sentencing for her Critical Race Theory class, she came across the case of Sharanda Jones, a woman who had been sentenced to life without parole for a first-time, non-violent drug offense. She has also earned honors and awards. Brittany K. Barnett travels from Dallas, TX Similar Speakers Tom Foster writes about business, innovation, and creative people. East Texas is my home. Some of the most brilliant people Ive met in my life are my clients. [23] The witnesses in her trial consisted of fellow drug offenders who testified in exchange for lighter sentences. Barnett was on the legal team of Alice Marie Johnson, a woman who was serving the 21st year a life sentence for nonviolent drug offenses. We need the laws to change, for sure, but we need change thats more than that. [2] She then went to Winstead PC in the Finance & Banking Practice Group. The first step for policymakers and decision makers is to acknowledge that its been an utter failure. [2] She recounts that as a little girl, she wanted to be a lawyer like Clair Huxtable, a character on The Cosby Show, but had lost that dream by high school because there were no lawyers in her rural East Texas community, and certainly no black women lawyers. Barnett embarked on her childhood dreams by joining the University of Houston Law Center where she did a Juris Doctor in law. 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