Why a Black Man's Impact Matters in Your Case: Examining the Role of Representation in the Courtroom

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Black attorneys make up just 2% of the legal space. Of that 2%, an even smaller percentage end up pursuing careers in public defense. Black men however, make up a disproportionate percentage of those who come into contact with and end up criminalized through the Injustice System. Panel members discuss the importance of Black men in the public defense space, the hurdles to having more Black men in the public defense space, and what we can do to increase Black male representation in this space.

Aaron Butler

Assistant Federal Defender

Capital Habeas Unit for the Western District of Texas

Aaron Butler is an Assistant Federal Defender in the Capital Habeas Unit for the Western District of Texas. He is committed to fighting for justice and represents death-sentenced inmates in Texas state and federal courts. He was honored as a 2022 Atlantic Fellow for Racial Equity at Columbia University and the Nelson Mandela Foundation in Johannesburg. He has also served as an International Legal Foundation Attorney Fellow, supporting lawyers in Myanmar working on capital cases. He is a proud Morehouse College alumnus and earned his law degree from Tulane Law School. During his downtime, he enjoys old-school soca and science fiction literature.

Stanford Hickman

Supervising Trial Attorney

New York County Defender Services

Stanford Hickman is a criminal defense attorney currently based in New York City. A Howard University School of Law Graduate, he began his career as a staff attorney with the Legal Aid Society in Queens New York and progressed to senior trial attorney with New York County Defender Services, (NYCDS). During his tenure as a senior trial attorney with NYCDS, Hickman has litigated numerous cases including homicides, armed robberies, and a high-profile celebrity stalking case. Hickman, along with trial work, is currently a supervisor with NYCDS overseeing and mentoring a team of attorneys as they develop in their career.

Additionally, he is involved in an initiative to formulate new policy and expand in-house training, toward combating implicit bias and advancing racial justice. Hickman also participates in numerous training programs around the country, he has served as a faculty member for Nash /York trial training, Department of Public Advocacy in Faubush, Kentucky and Office of the Alternative Defender in Denver, Colorado and Office of the Public Defender in Trenton, New Jersey. Locally, he serves as an adjunct professor with Seton Hall School of Law for their intersession trial advocacy program. Hickman is also a graduate of the inaugural class of the New York Black Defender Leadership Institute, (BDLI), which is sponsored by the Black Public Defender Association, and now serves on the faculty for BDLI.

Daryl McGraw

Certified Addictions Counselor, Recovery Support Specialist, and Criminal Justice Professional

Connecticut Public Defenders Division

Daryl McGraw is a Certified Addictions Counselor, Recovery Support Specialist, and Criminal Justice Professional with over ten years of experience in urban trauma, addiction recovery, and community reintegration. He is an expert in the field of Criminal Justice Reform and provides technical assistance to universities, law enforcement agencies, legislators, and behavioral health and addiction treatment facilities. He was hired by the Yale University Department of Psychiatry in 2014. Daryl McGraw was contracted to serve as Director of the Office of Recovery Community Affairs for the State of Connecticut Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services. He formed Formerly Inc, Connecticut's first criminal justice consultant agency, and was appointed Co-Chair of Connecticut's Police Transparency and Accountability Taskforce. He also works part-time for the Institute for Municipal Policy and Research at Central Connecticut State University. He was inducted into the Connecticut Hall of Change in 2020. In 2022 Daryl was appointed the first to serve as the first Diversity Equity and Inclusion Director for the Connecticut Public Defenders Division.

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