ASHLEY WITTE DAWSON - Key Persons
Adam grew up on the West side of Cincinnati, but attended Covington Latin High School where he graduated at age 16. In order to afford college, Adam joined the Army the day after he turned 17 years old. He was in the Infantry stationed in Europe for three years. Upon the expiration of his enlistment, Adam began college at the University of Cincinnati. He also started working at Cincinnati Tattoo Studio which was his father's tattoo studio. He remained employed with Cincinnati Tattoo throughout both undergraduate and law school. However, one year after coming home from the Army, Adam was recalled to duty for the Persian Gulf War. After his second tour of duty, he again enrolled back into college. During his undergraduate studies, Adam began to show an interest in becoming a criminal defense attorney. Adam's undergraduate degree was in Criminal Justice where he graduated first in his class.
Adam's personal life is rather diverse. He still plays indoor soccer on a weekly basis as a goal keeper. He also collects and creates art in various forms. This is partly due to his prior career as a tattoo artist. On occasion you can find Adam designing and giving tattoos to acquaintances. Adam has been an avid hunter traveling to Africa, Europe, Asia, Australia, Alaska and here in North America to hunt wild game. In addition, Adam is a member of the Safari Club International where he actively supports the organization and attends group functions. He is also a benefactor member of the National Rifle Association. Over the past 25 years, after returning home from the Army, Adam and his father began racing motorcycles at the local racetrack. They still race to this day.
Adam was drawn to criminal defense for two reasons. First, Adam always seemed to be the person who stood up to the bully picking on the little guy. Criminal defense seems to be of the same nature. Adam is a strong willed person who refuses to let people be taken advantage of. Second, Adam learned of a theory in criminal justice called "net widening." "Net widening" is the name given to the process of changes in the legal system that result in a greater number of individuals being controlled by the criminal justice system. This results in catching more of the proverbial "unintended fish." In the criminal justice system, this means more innocent people are brought into the legal system by being accused of criminal conduct. Adam finds this control by the government, through the various police agencies, intolerable. As Adam's primary legal focus is on defending sex crimes, Adam sees net widening on a regular basis. Today, the innocent are not only accused of egregious sexual misconduct, but they may also be forced to register as a sex offender for the rest of their life.
Adam was involved in a case many years ago that helped shaped Adam's legal practice philosophies and strategies. It was a simple speeding ticket where Adam was the defendant. Prior to becoming a lawyer, Adam, was accused of going 34 m.p.h. in a 20 m.p.h. school zone during school hours. Adam took the matter all the way to trial on his own as he contended it was outside of school hours and the speed limit was in fact 35 m.p.h.. The police officer who issued the ticket was testifying about facts which were not true. In reality, the police officer did not remember Adam or the ticket. This police officer decided to destroy his own credibility with Adam (and society as a whole) by stating false facts under oath in order to win a simple speeding ticket case. When Adam saw a police officer falsify his testimony just to win a speeding ticket case, Adam always wondered how far a police officer would stray from the truth to win a conviction in a more serious case. Unfortunately, in Adam's line of work, he sees this exact same scenario occur too often.
Job Titles:
- Bleile & Dawson 's Senior Paralegal
- Senior Paralegal
Caroline is a Cincinnati native and Mount Notre Dame High School graduate. As a former volleyball player and daughter of a volleyball coach, she learned the value of teamwork at a young age, which has remained with her and helped mold her strong work ethic. During high school, Caroline discovered her passion for helping those within her community, which evolved into organizing service projects and actively participating in mission trips.
Caroline studied Sociology and Criminal Justice at Thomas More University. During her undergraduate studies, her love for people and the study of society grew immensely after being selected to participate in a service-learning trip to St. James, Jamaica. During this trip, Caroline lived in small rural communities and engaged in activities such as teaching and building at local schools and children's homes.
As a college student, Caroline attended one of Bleile & Dawson's jury trials. During the course of the trial, Caroline became extremely fascinated with the Criminal Justice System. She was inspired by the hard work and dedication of defense attorneys and admired their commitment. At that moment, Caroline realized her desire to pursue a career with Bleile & Dawson and join their passionate legal team.
As Bleile & Dawson's Senior Paralegal, Caroline assists clients and attorneys throughout the legal process to ensure the best experience possible. Caroline enjoys conversing with people from all backgrounds and making sure each person she comes into contact with is a priority, because to the team at Bleile & Dawson, the clients are the most important.
Job Titles:
- Collectors Association Life Member