Herb Cranford
District Attorney, Coweta County Circuit
University of Georgia ’08, Mercer Law ‘12
Newnan, GA
Growing up attending football games with his father, Herb knew he wanted to go to attend the University of Georgia. “It was the school I grew up a fan of, but also knowing that I could get the HOPE Scholarship if I went there, that kind of sealed the deal.”
He attended Mercer Law after undergrad and would take on the internships that would shape his professional philosophies. He “learned a lot in terms of how to conduct oneself as a lawyer professionally, and how to treat people.”
After serving briefly in the Newnan Circuit right after law school, he moved to the Coweta Circuit to be an Assistant District Attorney. It is in the Coweta County Circuit that Herb now serves as the youngest District Attorney in the state at 35.
“The job is to get a just result on each case, and each case is different, you’re individually reviewing each case. There’s a spectrum of what is a reasonable way to justly resolve a case. As long as an Assistant DA in this office, or me when I was an Assistant DA, as long as they resolve a case on the spectrum of reasonableness, even if I would do it differently, I’m going to support them. You lose justice if you try to micromanage every outcome.”
In his role, he has a policy of being available to the public and reaching out to victims. “I’m a big believer in having an open-door policy. So, anybody who wants to talk to me, can talk to me…if someone really wants to speak to the DA, I take all those meetings. I think that’s really important to let people know that I’m accessible.” He also puts significant effort into speaking to the public about how the processes in the criminal justice system work. “It’s really hard for a DA’s office to work for the public, if the public does not have trust. And that’s a big part of being available and also being transparent.”
As District Attorney, Herb feels as though he’s in a position that he was made for. “I feel like I’m doing what I’m best suited to do. And there’s nothing that I can think of to do that would be more significant, especially in the community that I’ve grown up in.”
His goals for the future are entirely centered on doing all that he can do to manage his role respectably. “I want to run an office that the ultimate end is doing justice on each case, doing it honorably. Being honest, being fair. Having that open-door policy and being transparent, is part of doing it honorably. I’m aware of the power and authority that comes with this kind of job, specifically in being DA. I endeavor to wield that with some humility… Given that I think I’m in the role that’s best for me, my goal is just to do it well.”