Keith B. Johnson was named one of the Top 100 Criminal Defense Attorneys in the United States by the National Trial Lawyers Association. He was selected to the Super Lawyers 2017-2022 Georgia Rising Stars list, an honor reserved for those lawyers who exhibit excellence in practice. Only 2% of attorneys in Georgia received this distinction. Keith was featured in a USA Today article, “Justice in My Town” discussing the future of policing in America. In 2013, at the age of 30, he was appointed by the Judges of the Augusta Judicial Circuit to serve as an associate Juvenile Court Judge for the Augusta Judicial Circuit. This made him one of the youngest judges in the State of Georgia at the time of his appointment. Keith served as Chief Judge of the Augusta Judicial Circuit Juvenile Court prior to the Augusta Judicial Circuit split in 2021. Keith continues to serve as an associate juvenile court judge in the newly formed Columbia Judicial Circuit, while still maintaining his private criminal defense practice. In 2018, he became the first black male appointed president of the Augusta Bar Association, which was founded in 1895.
Keith began his legal career at the District Attorney's Office and served in that capacity four years. As a prosecutor with the DA’s Office, he litigated numerous felony jury trials obtaining multiple life sentences for violent offenders. During his tenure, he served as lead attorney for the Augusta Judicial Circuit's Drug Court, which provided alternative legal resolutions to non-violent offenders. He is a member of the South Carolina and Georgia Bar Associations. As a criminal defense attorney, Keith has handled thousands of criminal cases in Georgia and South Carolina state and federal courts. Keith has won several high profile criminal jury trials, many of those victories have come with clients facing potential life sentences. He has been featured in several news outlets for stellar legal representation over the last decade.
Keith earned a football scholarship to Furman University in 2001 where he played cornerback on two Southern Conference Championship teams in 2001 and 2004. He obtained his bachelor of arts degree in History in 2005. In 2008, he was awarded a Juris Doctor from Michigan State University. While in law school, he served as the Notes and Comments Editor of the Michigan State Journal of Gender Law and received the Jurisprudence Award in Criminal Law.
We believe that being accused of a crime does not make you a criminal. With that in mind, we have a documented record of treating clients with the respect and dignity they deserve. You will never be just a number at our firm. We are committed to excellence and achieving the best possible results.
