DUTTON & DUTTON - Key Persons
For the past three years, Ashley Culberson has effectively represented the face of our law office. Working in close coordination with the lawyer and paralegal, Ashley has proven to be efficient in managing our schedules. Her warm demeanor sets her apart as many clients have informed us, and we trust that you will not only smile when you speak with Ashley but also know exactly what to expect from our firm.
Bridget has a decade of experience in criminal law. In addition to supervising our office, she sits in on many jury trials to assist in the organization and provide emotional support to our clients. She is a mix of organized, professional, and personable. In addition to her top-notch people skills, Bridget is an excellent critical thinker with an amazing memory of cases and clients.
Job Titles:
- Attorney
- Member of the Attorneys & Staff
- Partner in the Griffin, Georgia Law Firm
Debra combines a strong sense of purpose, a caring attitude, and an intense desire to help fellow Georgians to deliver strategic legal advice. She provides counsel to clients throughout Spalding County and the 11 surrounding counties in central Georgia. As Debra says, "I'm friendly, family-oriented, but also very aggressive when it comes to advocating for my clients - I can become Darth Debbie at any point."
After completing just one year of college, Debra got married, started a family, and put her education on hold. However,
At age 50, Debra entered John Marshall College of Law in Atlanta. After passing the Georgia State Bar exam in 2013, she purchased Attorney Charlotte Thacker's bankruptcy law firm in Griffin.
Job Titles:
- Attorney
- Member of the Attorneys & Staff
- Partner at Dutton & Dutton Law Firm, LLC in Griffin, Georgia
Born and raised in Griffin, James is deeply invested in his community. He understands the importance of getting into the trenches with his clients to advocate strongly for them.
James entered Gordon State College at age 15, completed an associate degree in business, and then spent the next two years traveling the world as a missionary, meeting people from 93 different countries. Upon returning to Georgia, James earned a bachelor's degree in international economics in 2010, a master's degree in public policy in 2013, a JD from Georgia State University College of Law in 2014. If he ever gets time to pursue a Ph.D., James says it will be an economics-based solution to the rainforest crisis.
Courted by many of the major law firms in Atlanta, James turned them all down to move back to Griffin and become a Spalding County public defender. James says of his decision: "God has blessed me with all these amazing things. He wants me to use my time and talents to come back to my little town and help the people that live here to make it a better place, so that's what I'm doing."
Not one to give up easily, James has defended over 1,600 clients in front of 114 judges and has lost only two trials. After leaving the Griffin Circuit Public Defenders Office in 2016 to start his own law firm, James and his mother, Debra Dutton, joined forces to establish Dutton & Dutton Law Firm, LLC, in May 2020.
As the daughter of an army officer, Margie spent her childhood living in such diverse places as Japan, Alaska, California, and Missouri. She graduated from Trinity University with a degree in elementary education, taught a year in Texas, and then moved to Griffin as a bride. She earned both a master's degree and an Educational Specialist degree from Mercer and taught for nearly forty years before retiring. She began working for Thacker & Dutton in 2011.
Margie is a huge asset to the firm and one of the friendliest people you would ever hope to meet. She works one-on-one with all our clients on the Civil law side. She is professional, personable, and positive with all clients and is dedicated to meeting their needs. She is kind, patient and understanding and we are lucky to have her on our team.