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Robert Barnes (attorney)

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Robert Barnes
Born
Robert Edward Barnes

(1974-04-11) April 11, 1974 (age 50)
Chattanooga, Tennessee, U.S.
Alma materUniversity of Tennessee at Chattanooga (BA)
University of Wisconsin Law School (JD)
Occupation(s)Criminal tax attorney, legal advocate, political commentator, and YouTuber
Websitebarneslawllp.com, vivabarneslaw.locals.com

Robert Edward Barnes (born April 11, 1974) is a lawyer and founder of Barnes Law LLP, a Los-Angeles-based law firm.[1]

Early life and education

Barnes grew up in East Ridge, Tennessee, attended Grace Baptist Academy, and later received a scholarship to the McCallie School, a private all-male high school. Barnes' father died when he was a child.[2]

He later attended Yale University for two years before transferring to the University of Tennessee at Knoxville in 1994, citing Yale's elitism as the reason behind his decision to switch schools.[3][4] Barnes graduated from University of Wisconsin Law School.[5]

Career

Barnes was formerly a partner at the Bernhoft Law Firm.[6] While with Bernhoft in 2008, Barnes served as one of actor Wesley Snipes' criminal defense lawyers. After a federal trial, a jury acquitted Snipes of conspiracy and felony tax evasion but convicted him on three out of six counts of misdemeanor failure to file income tax returns.[7] Judge William Terrell Hodges imposed the maximum sentence of three consecutive one-year terms.[8] The convictions and sentence were upheld on appeal, where Snipes was represented by other counsel.[9][10][11]

Barnes represented Ralph Nader in an unsuccessful lawsuit regarding ballot access in his 2004 presidential bid.[12][13] He represented eight Covington High School students[14][15] in a lawsuit that was later dismissed.[16][17][15] He represented Alex Jones in the defamation lawsuit that resulted from Jones claiming that the 2012 Sandy Hook massacre was a hoax,[18][19] litigation that resulted in a judgment against Jones.[20][21]

Barnes was hired as part of Kyle Rittenhouse's defense team following the 2020 Kenosha unrest shooting.[22] He represented bartender Dustin Hice in a sexual assault lawsuit against CNN anchor Don Lemon in 2021,[23] based on a series of allegations that were later retracted.[24]

Barnes also represented Amy Cooper in the Central Park birdwatching incident for the misdemeanor charge of filing a false police report, a charge that was dismissed upon the motion of the prosecutor.[25]

Bet on Trump

In 2016, Barnes successfully wagered in European betting markets on Donald Trump being elected president of the United States, winning $100,000 USD.[26][2]

References

  1. ^ "Attorney Profile: Robert Edward Barnes - #235919". State Bar of California.
  2. ^ a b Smith, Millicent (Nov 20, 2016). "Chattanooga native hits jackpot betting on Trump win". The Chattanooga Times Free Press. Retrieved May 1, 2022.
  3. ^ Oppenheimer, Mark (Nov 21, 2016). "The Man Who Made $500,000 Off Trump's Win". Tablet.
  4. ^ Terry, Amy (Nov 16, 1994). "Barnes Rages Against Elitism". Yale Daily News.
  5. ^ "Board of Professional Responsibility". www.tbpr.org. Board of Professional Responsibility of the Supreme Court of Tennessee. Retrieved 9 June 2022.
  6. ^ Baxter, Brian (29 January 2009). "Bob Barnes Hits Back at Client Gone Wild in Court Filing". AmLawDaily. ALM Media Properties, LLC. Retrieved 9 June 2022.
  7. ^ Morrissey, Siobhan (1 February 2008). "Wesley Snipes Acquitted of Tax Fraud". People Magazine. Archived from the original on 4 February 2008.
  8. ^ "Wesley Snipes sentenced to 3 years in prison". Today. April 24, 2008. Retrieved 20 June 2022.
  9. ^ "Prosecutors defend Snipes jail sentence". Entertainment News. UPO. February 1, 2009. Retrieved 30 June 2022.
  10. ^ "Appeals Court Upholds Wesley Snipes Tax Conviction". Accounting Today. July 16, 2010. Retrieved 20 June 2022.
  11. ^ "Wesley Snipes Ordered to Serve Three Years in Prison". The Hollywood Reporter. 19 November 2010. Retrieved 9 June 2022.
  12. ^ "Ralph Nader's Lawyer: Hawaii Election Law Fight About Free Speech Rights". Honolulu Civil Beat. 11 February 2011.
  13. ^ "Court turns down Nader challenge of Hawaii election ruling". Honolulu Star-Advertiser. 4 April 2011. Retrieved 9 June 2022.
  14. ^ Sommer, Will (10 January 2020). "Covington Catholic Student Nick Sandmann's Lawyers Go After Rival Attorney". The Daily Beast. Retrieved 9 June 2022.
  15. ^ a b Bauerlein, Monika (2 November 2021). "The legal war against Mother Jones keeps getting more intense". Mother Jones. Retrieved 9 June 2022.
  16. ^ "8 Covington Catholic Teens Sue 'Most Egregious High-Profile Individuals' for Defamation". 2 August 2019.
  17. ^ Karanth, Sanjana (6 November 2019). "Judge Dismisses Students' Libel Suit Against Elizabeth Warren, Deb Haaland". HuffPost. Retrieved 9 June 2022.
  18. ^ Tilove, Jonathan (March 7, 2019). "Alex Jones ratchets up his Sandy Hook defense". Austin American-Statesman.
  19. ^ Ross, Jamie (3 May 2019). "Sandy Hook Parents' Lawyer Wants Alex Jones Attorney Removed Over Infowars Attack". The Daily Beast. Retrieved 9 June 2022.
  20. ^ Thebault, Ries. "Alex Jones must pay damages to Sandy Hook families in another defamation case, judge rules". Washington Post. Retrieved 9 June 2022.
  21. ^ Sommer, Will (9 June 2022). "Alex Jones Is Turning on His Own Lawyers in Sandy Hook Case". The Daily Beast. Retrieved 9 June 2022.
  22. ^ Rohrlich, Justin (February 5, 2021). "Kyle Rittenhouse Hires Wesley Snipes' Tax Lawyer". The Daily Beast.
  23. ^ Henderson, Cydney. "Don Lemon sued for allegedly assaulting New York bartender, 'categorically denies' claims". USA TODAY.
  24. ^ Chisolm, Johanna (3 May 2022). "Don Lemon assault accuser drops suit against CNN host after 'deep dive into memory'". The Independent. Retrieved 9 June 2022.
  25. ^ Higginbotham, Emily (19 February 2021). "Charges Dropped Against Amy Cooper". Chelsea News. Retrieved 9 June 2022.
  26. ^ O’Driscoll, Sean (Dec 26, 2016). "Lawyer cashed in on underestimated Trump". thetimes.co.uk. The Times. Retrieved May 1, 2022.


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