NEW DRUG JUDGE TACKLES 'ISSUE OF OUR GENERATION'

Lawley Will Play Key Role In Court's Statewide Replication

William Davis Lawley Jr. has seen the effects of drug abuse.

The 44-year-old Birmingham native came of age during the 1970s and
early 1980s, when illicit drug use became widespread.

He was an assistant district attorney in Huntsville in the early
1990s, prosecuting felony drug cases for the North Alabama Drug Task
Force. He has represented families ravaged by drugs in his private
practice in Birmingham.

Lawley has the chance to do something about the problem in his newest
job as the District Court judge in charge of Jefferson County's Drug
Court.

"It's the issue of our generation," he said, less than two months
after taking over the 10-year-old court that has become a model
program. "I've watched the growth of designer drugs and the increasing
potency of drugs like marijuana and cocaine. I was inspired to do
something about it."

The drug court he now heads offers a diversion/treatment program for
non-violent drug users arrested in the Birmingham Division in the east
half of Jefferson County. Similar courts are in the county's Bessemer
Division, as well as Shelby County.

Clients in Lawley's court must get a job, perform community service
and submit to regular drug screens.

Some 2,300 offenders have graduated, most after staying clean for 12
months in a row.

It's a tough program to enter because 25 percent of applicants are
rejected for reasons like violent criminal behavior or evidence of
drug dealing. Fifteen percent of the 4,100 people who entered the
program have flunked out and gone to prison.

But once they manage to graduate, only 15 percent are re-arrested
within two years. Nationally, 47 percent of drug offenders are
rearrested in three years, according to the federal Bureau of Justice
Statistics.

"Addiction is like being caught in a fog," Lawley said. "But instead
of hearing the buoy bell, you hear a demon. And you hover around that
sound because it is the only bearing you have. You're stuck there.

"Our job," he said, "is to clear that fog so they can find their way
out, then teach them that once they're out, they can never look back."

Building a template

The founding judge of the Jefferson County Drug Court, O.L. "Pete"
Johnson, now is heading an effort by Chief Justice Sue Bell Cobb to
bring drug courts to all 67 counties in Alabama.

Lawley's court will play a key role in that effort.

"Part of my job is to make this something that can be replicated," he
said. "If we can work on a template that is malleable, we can make a
difference."

Lawleysaid it probably will be a few months before he starts to put
his personal stamp on the court. He said that is inevitable, because
each judge brings his or her own experiences and personality to the
bench.

What defendants will find is a personable, passionate judge who quotes
Lynyrd Skynyrd and counts a collaboration between Led Zeppelin
guitarist Jimmy Page and The Black Crowes as one of his favorite recordings.

He rides a Harley-Davidson motorcycle and plays lacrosse.

Mitch Damsky, who shares Lawley's passion for lacrosse and persuaded
him to return to Birmingham from Washington, said Lawley is a
nurturing person.

"He brings a balanced experience," the Birmingham lawyer said. "He has
the intellectual capacity, sense of humor and compassion. I think he's
going to do a great job."

Addicts who graduate become sober, taxpaying citizens who no longer
prey on family and friends, Lawley said.

In a state where the number of inmates is twice the prison system's
capacity, more prison beds are freed by drug courts for more hardened,
violent criminals, Lawley said. Reforming addicts also helps prevent
future crimes because that person no longer needs to rob or steal to
feed the addiction.

Providing help requires both patience and a resolve to use
intermediate punishments like a night in jail for positive drug tests,
Lawley said, but success is entirely up to the defendant.

"What we are asking them to do is struggle with us," he said. "If they
don't, we can treat their case as a criminal matter. But if they grab
our hand, we'll walk with them."

THE LAWLEY FILE

Name: William Davis Lawley Jr.

Age/date of birth: 44, June 25, 1962.

Job: Jefferson County Drug Court judge.

Education: Prep school in Cleveland, Ohio, 1980; BA in economics at
Hampden-Sydney College in Virginia, 1984; law degree from Washington
University School of Law in St. Louis, 1989.

Professional experience: 1990-1992, prosecutor, North Alabama Drug
Task Force, Huntsville; 1992-1994, commercial real estate litigator,
Washington; 1994-2007, civil and criminal trial practice.

Political experience: Ran for Jefferson County District Court judge in
2000; assistant press secretary for U.S. Sen. Howell Heflin, 1984-1985.

Hobbies: Lacrosse, motorcycle riding, music.

In his iPod: 3,500 items, including music from Bach, Frank Sinatra, Justin
Timberlake and 1970s music by Queen, David Bowie and Rod Stewart.

Favorite band: Led Zeppelin.

AT A GLANCE

Jefferson County Drug Court facts:

Established: 1996 Jurisdiction: Birmingham Division

Total applicants: 5,569

Graduates: 2,318

Current clients: 619

Community service: 220,000 hours

Fees paid: $2.8 million Source: Jefferson County Drug Court