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Julie Swaney opened her own criminal defense law firm because she believes deeply in protecting the Constitutional rights and liberty interests of everyone who comes into contact with the criminal justice system. Using the training and experience she developed during and after law school, she defends clients in both the juvenile and adult criminal justice systems. Her practice includes a mix of court-appointed and retained clients, working on cases ranging from Driving Under the Influence (DUI) to Simple Assault to Armed Robbery to Homicide. Although actively barred in DC and Maryland, most of her work is done in the Superior Court for the District of Columbia.  

 

After graduating cum laude from American University's Washington College of Law (WCL) in 2011, Ms. Swaney became Director of Youth Advocacy for a mentoring and advocacy program that assisted DC youth who were incarcerated at the New Beginnings Youth Development Center in Laurel, Maryland. In that role, she helped youth plan for their reentry back to the community, supervised law students who volunteered to be mentors and advocates, and organized a youth-led empowerment program to bring change to the juvenile justice system in DC. She advocated at the local and federal levels to improve conditions at the detention center, developed protocols for a smoother reentry process, and assisted individual youth with reenrolling in school and obtaining jobs.

 

During law school, Ms. Swaney was a student attorney in WCL's renowned Criminal Defense Clinic. Through the clinical program, Ms. Swaney represented adult and juvenile clients in Montgomery County, Maryland. She handled plea negotiations in juvenile and adult criminal court, and litigated misdemeanor adult bench and jury trials. She also served as a law clerk for both the Public Defender Service of the District of Columbia and the Prince George's County Office of the Public Defender working with lawyers who were handling major felony cases. Additionally, Ms. Swaney interned for Judge James E. Boasberg when he was an Associate Judge on the Superior Court for the District of Columbia handling a Felony 2 calendar consisting of mostly gun and drug cases.

 

Ms. Swaney is a member of the Superior Court Trial Lawyers Association and the Council for Court Excellence's Post-Disposition Working Group.  She graduated cum laude from The George Washington University in 2002, with a Bachelor's degree in Political Science and a minor in Africana Studies.

 

Ms. Swaney has lived in the DC area for most of her adult life. Although originally from Cleveland, Ohio, she considers DC to be her home.