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Once a defendant, Ohio man is now an attorney

TOLEDO, Ohio — Six years ago, Joshua Williams was a defendant in a case involving a pair of felonies. On Wednesday, he was sworn in as an attorney by the judge who presided over that trial.

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Williams was sworn in by Judge Myron Duhart of the Ohio Sixth District Court of Appeals, WTVG reported.

Williams met Duhart when he was charged with two felonies in a 2015 case that was eventually dismissed, the television station reported.

Once a high school dropout, Williams returned to school and then entered college as a 30-year-old. He graduated from the University of Toledo’s College of Law five years later, WTVG reported.

“I never thought I would reach this point,” Williams told the television station. “Entering college at the age of 30, graduating from law school at the age of 35. I just never thought that was possible. Judge Duhart and many others were important in my life. They were supportive, they pushed me. They saw potential, and they fostered it. I really appreciate that.”

Duhart was one of Williams’ professors in law school.

“I saw him one day in the hall, and he came up to me and told me that he had been a defendant in my courtroom a few years earlier,” Duhart told WTVG in an October 2020 interview. “He also said that he wanted to take my class when he could. Fast forward a couple of years, and he did take my class. He was also top of that class. None of this is a coincidence, I believe that in life things happen for a reason and that there is a great deal of providence in how it all progresses. This story is a great example of that.”

This week, Duhart said it was an honor to be a part of Williams’ success story.

“This is a story of redemption, perseverance,” Duhart told WTVG. “Joshua turned out to not only be a great person, but also a great student. He was the best in that class, and I am sure he will go on to do good things. I am so humbled to swear him in.”

Williams was humbled, too, but he did not have time to reflect -- he was due in court to argue a case.

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