Julie Swaney started her solo criminal defense practice through the Law Office of Julie Swaney because she believes deeply in protecting the Constitutional rights and liberty interests of everyone who comes into contact with the criminal justice system. Using the training and experience she developed during and after law school, she defends clients in both the juvenile and adult criminal justice systems in the Superior Court for the District of Columbia. Her practice includes a mix of court-appointed and retained clients, working on cases ranging from Armed Robbery to Simple Assault to Driving Under the Influence (DUI). She is actively barred in both DC and Maryland.  Ms. Swaney;is also an Adjunct Professorial Lecturer at American University’s Washington College of Law (AUWCL) for both the LL.M. Advocacy Program and Program on Law & Government.

After graduating cum laude from AUWCL in 2011, Ms. Swaney became Director of Youth Advocacy for a mentoring and advocacy program that assisted DC youth who were incarcerated at the New Beginnings Youth Development Center in Laurel, Maryland. In that role, she helped youth plan for their reentry back to the community, supervised law students who volunteered to be mentors and advocates, and organized a youth-led empowerment program to bring change to the juvenile justice system in DC. She advocated at the local and federal levels to improve conditions in juvenile facilities, developed protocols for a smoother reentry process, and assisted individual youth with reenrolling in school and obtaining jobs.

Ms. Swaney is a member of the Superior Court Trial Lawyers Association and volunteered for Clemency Project 2014 to represent federal inmates seeking clemency. She graduated cum laude from The George Washington University in 2002, with a Bachelor's degree in Political Science and a minor in African Studies.