Duane Barron serves as the Public Defender in the Staunton-Lexington Office. A native of nearby Stuarts Draft, Virginia, Duane earned his J.D. from the University of Georgia School of Law and completed graduate work in the Religious Studies Department at the University of Virginia. He joined the Staunton Public Defender's Office in 2005 as an assistant public defender and has represented clients at all levels of Virginia's court system. In addition to his work in the courtroom, he serves on the Board of Directors for Justice Forward Virginia, advocating for criminal legal reform in the Commonwealth.  Throughout his career, Duane has remained dedicated to protecting his clients from the misdirected vengeance and unproductive state-violence that often permeates the criminal legal system.