Darnell Thomas Barton

Darnell T. Barton is one of the rising stars in the Michigan legal community. After the death of Trayvon Martin, Mr. Barton felt compelled to bring more awareness to the plight of young black men and those disproportionately affected by what seemed to be an unjust system. Instead of pursuing a lucrative career in his native New York City, Mr. Barton moved to Dallas, Texas, where he began a three-year journey towards justice.

During law school, Mr. Barton sharpened his trial skills as a member of the Board of Advocates and the Mock Trial traveling team. He also completed a fellowship working with Dallas County elected officials to combat the "School to Prison Pipeline." However, most notably, he founded an event titled "Community Thanksgiving," where he led the charge to feed, and provide toiletries for over 300 less fortunate families every year while in law school.

Mr. Barton took an intern position in the "Violent Crimes Unit" at the Wayne County Prosecutor's Office in Detroit, Michigan. There, as part of a "grand jury" process, he had first hand experience with extremely violent cases. Mr. Barton also has had experience in cases involving the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) & the FBI. Mr. Barton was also able to interview victims of gun violence, many of whom were young black men, and helped grieving mothers protect their children from death threats.

Later, being officially hired by the Wayne County Prosecutor's Office, Mr. Barton handled hundreds of cases in court at the examination and misdemeanor court level. The Presiding Judge of the 36th District Court, Judge Kenneth King, personally requested Mr. Barton to be his courtroom prosecutor after seeing him thoroughly argue a motion in his courtroom. There, Mr. Barton completed hundreds of “Advance Dispute Resolution” methods to avoid another citizen going through the “system,” and to resolve the underlying issue that caused the victim to be victimized in the first place. Mr. Barton has since argued numerous cases involving OWI/DUI’s, Aggravated Assault to Simple Assault and Battery, Child Abuse, MDOP’s, Theft, Retail Fraud, Embezzlement, Stalking, Telecommunications Misuse, and various Weapons Offenses.

Mr. Barton is also a licensed National Basketball Association (NBA) Player Agent who can negotiate contracts on behalf of professional athletes. Part of his vision is to utilize his litigation background, coupled with his business acumen, to help young professional athletes from low income communities steer their careers from "going broke" after their playing days. Along with his hands on approach to community development, Mr. Barton also supports small businesses in developing their brands.