About Barry Grissom

Representing individuals who have been injured or taken advantage of has been a passion for Barry Grissom. He hates bullies. Since 1983 he has dedicated his professional career to assisting those who need legal help. After twenty-seven years of pursuing justice for individuals, he was nominated by President Barack Obama to be the United States Attorney for the District of Kansas and was unanimously confirmed by the Senate in August of 2010.

He served in that position until April of 2016. During his time as U.S. Attorney, he was selected by Attorney General Eric Holder to serve as one of 14 United States Attorneys on the Attorney General’s Advisory Committee (“AGAC”) – a group that meets regularly in Washington to advise the Attorney General on matters of administration and policy. As part of the AGAC, Mr. Grissom contributed to the Attorney General’s efforts to reform the federal criminal justice system through the Smart on Crime initiative and was involved in formulating responses to the myriad of policy and administrative issues that confront the D.O.J. every day.

As a result of his service on AGAC, Mr. Grissom was asked by the Brennan Center at New York University Law School to be part of a Blue Ribbon Panel on redefining federal prosecution priorities. This Blue Ribbon Panel, which included a small number of current and former U.S. Attorneys, as well as former high-ranking department officials, public defenders, and academics examined how shifting federal prosecutorial priorities can reduce violent crime while also addressing the issue of over-incarceration which culminated in the September, 2014 release of a report entitled Federal Prosecution for the 21st Century. He continues to speak out on criminal justice reform, having most recently lobbied members of Congress on Federal Sentencing Reform with the Drug Policy Alliance as well as lobbying efforts for the National Organization to Reform Marijuana Laws (NORML).