Meet Tom Barbour
Public safety is about people.
That’s what Tom learned growing up, the son of doctors, one an immigrant mother who’d fled persecution as a Christian in Iraq. Tom understood that he was safe, but many people aren’t. He learned service from his parents – that real problems have real causes – and that good people dedicate their lives to finding real solutions.
When our country was attacked on 9/11, Tom answered the call and served as a Marine Corps Officer in Iraq and Afghanistan. As a foreign military advisor, he led small teams of Marines to live and operate with the Iraqi Army and Afghan Police. They worked together for safe neighborhoods, policing and building relationships at the same time.
Tom knows we can get smart on safety in Richmond, too. He left the Marine Corps as a Captain and used his GI benefits to go back to his alma mater at the University of Virginia, becoming a Triple ’Hoo by earning a degree from the law school and an MBA from Darden. Tom then went back into service, this time as a prosecutor and a senior policy advisor on smart public safety reforms to Richmond’s former Commonwealth’s Attorney Michael N. Herring
Tom prosecuted serious cases and built alternative programs to address root causes because he knows we need to do both to keep us safe. When Mr. Herring left the Office for private practice, so did Tom. He started his own firm, built a nonprofit to reduce recidivism, and married Julia, a Senior Public Defender in Richmond. They live in Church Hill near St. John’s, where Tom practices his progressive faith with their two daughters. Fun these days is a walk with the family to Libby Hill or an afternoon on the James River, but there is so much work to be done.
Tom has been a public servant and a fierce defender of Richmonders and their legal rights, liberties, and livelihoods throughout his career. He’s tried a wide range of cases, and his goal has always been to be a lawyer for good. Tom serves Richmonders as a trial attorney, working for clients with problems to solve and stories to tell that are in the public interest. He has represented clients in civil and criminal trials in front of judges and juries across practice areas and our Commonwealth, in grievance hearings, federal, state, and local administrative proceedings, and in court.
Tom is dedicated to finding real solutions to real problems of public safety in our City. He and Julia want safe neighborhoods, not just for their family but for all Richmonders – that service is how they live their lives together. Tom is deeply involved in the Richmond City Democratic Committee and supports Democrats across Virginia. He focuses his policy work on public safety innovation, making pro bono contributions to individuals and organizations centered on criminal justice reform.
