2012 Lawyer of the Year

Barry W. Wilford

 The Ohio Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers is pleased to announce that Barry W. Wilford is the recipient of the 2012 Lawyer of the Year award.  This award is given annually to an attorney who best lives up to the ideals and aspirations of the association.  A special committee selects the winner of the award from a list of nominations that it solicits and receives from the membership of the organization.

Mr. Wilford has been in the practice of criminal law advocacy since 1977.  He was a former Franklin County public defender from 1979 until 1987.  After that he associated in private practice with former OACDL president and founding member James Kura, and formed Kura and Wilford, LPA.  He has extensive experience as a criminal trial lawyer, including many death penalty cases.

Mr. Wilford is a member of the Bar of the State of Ohio, the Bar of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Ohio, and the Bar of the Federal Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals and the Bar of the United States Supreme Court.  He is a member of the Ohio State Bar Association, the Columbus Bar Association and the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers.  He is also a past president of OACDL.

Mr. Wilford is well respected for his skills as a criminal trial lawyer and as an appellate advocate.  He is also respected by his peers for his service to the association.  Among other things, he has served as its public policy advocate for over 12 years.  In that capacity he has successfully advocated the associations’ point of view on criminal law legislation in the Ohio General Assembly.  Most recently he has used his political skills and the good will that he has earned over the years in the legislature to lead the fight in the General Assembly against a bill that would end the defendant's rght to a judge trial.

For these and many other reasons, OACDL is proud to honor Barry W. Wilford for his exemplary advocacy and for his service to the association by bestowing upon him our 2012 Lawyer of the Year award.