Duff didn’t always practice criminal defense law. After majoring in and obtaining a Master’s degree in accounting from the University of Georgia, Duff went into law school assuming that he would focus on tax and estate planning.
And for his first several positions, that’s exactly what he did. He had a knack for numbers, and the formulized methods of estate planning came easily to him.
After a few years, Duff opened his own firm with his partner, Hubert Reeves, who had been practicing in the Georgia area for decades.
This was essential for Duff — he believes that experience is everything in the law, and if you don’t have mentors, you’re as good as doomed.
As time went on, Duff’s focus shifted to litigation, and he learned how much he enjoyed the thrill that came from working with a client when the stakes are high.
But even more importantly, Duff realized the impact he was able to have on people’s lives — helping them stay home and raise their children instead of going to jail, keeping them from losing the driver’s license that gets them to work every day, getting them the substance abuse help they need instead of being punished for their addictions.