Behind the Bar: Called to Serve a Conversation with Judge Amanda Heath

Episode Description

What does it really mean to answer the call to serve?

In the final episode of Behind the Bar, Keith sits down with longtime friend and colleague Judge Amanda Heath for a conversation about the journey from young prosecutors learning the profession together to lives shaped by public service and the judiciary.

Judge Heath’s path has taken her from the District Attorney’s Office to the Juvenile Court bench, and ultimately to the Superior Court bench, where the decisions are bigger, the responsibility is heavier, and the human consequences of the law are impossible to ignore.

Together, Keith and Judge Heath reflect on their shared beginnings, the lessons learned along the way, the responsibility that comes with wearing the robe, and what leadership looks like when your decisions directly affect people’s lives.

It’s a conversation about ambition, purpose, friendship, justice, and the idea that sometimes the greatest measure of a legal career isn’t how high you rise, but how you use the position once you get there.

The Second Chance — A Conversation with “Champ” He was only 16 years old when a criminal case threatened to change the direction of his life. At an age when most teenagers are thinking about school, football, friends, and the future, Champ was navigating the justice system and dealing with the very real possibility that one moment could define everything that came next. The case was ultimately dismissed, but that was only part of the story. In this episode of The Lawyers Lounge, Keith Johnson sits down with Champ to talk about the uncertainty of the case, his time in alternative school, the people who continued to believe in him, and the work it took to keep moving forward. Now, Champ is back in school and preparing to begin his senior year. This Friday, he will take the field for the start of his senior high school football season with his future once again in front of him. Their conversation is about football, perseverance, accountability, mentorship, belief, and what it means to receive a second chance and make something of it. More than anything, it is a reminder that one difficult chapter does not have to become the entire story.

Behind the Bar — Both Sides of the Courtroom: A Conversation with Kevin Davis

Episode Description

What changes when a lawyer has stood on both sides of the courtroom?

In this episode of Behind the Bar, criminal defense attorney Keith Johnson sits down with Kevin Davis, Chief Assistant District Attorney, former public defender, and former college basketball player, for a candid conversation about justice, responsibility, and the pressures that come with making decisions that can change a person’s life.

Kevin reflects on his journey from athletics into the legal profession, the lessons he carried from the basketball court into the courtroom, and how representing accused individuals shaped the prosecutor he later became. Together, Keith and Kevin explore the differences, and the common ground, between prosecution and defense, the misconceptions surrounding both roles. They discuss the responsibility lawyers carry to pursue justice rather than simply chase victories.

The conversation also examines leadership, race, discretion, preparation, and what it means to serve a system that is powerful, imperfect, and deeply human.

This is not a debate between opposing sides. It is an honest conversation between two lawyers who understand that justice depends on the people entrusted to pursue it.