Barry R. Grissom is a veteran attorney and nationally respected legal leader who serves as General Counsel for The Forgotten Prisoner. With decades of experience as a federal prosecutor,senior legal executive, and private practitioner, he brings exceptional legal authority, governance

strength, and moral leadership to the organization.Barry practiced civil litigation early in his career with a focus on labor law, employment

discrimination, and civil rights—advocating for fairness and workplace justice.

 

In 2010, Barry was appointed by President Barack Obama as the United States Attorney for the District of Kansas, where he served until 2016. As the chief federal law-enforcement officer for Kansas, he oversaw all federal prosecutions across the state, leading teams handling civil rights enforcement, violent crime, public corruption, financial fraud, and drug-trafficking cases. During his tenure as U.S. Attorney, Barry: Founded the first statewide Human Trafficking Working Group in Kansas Established the Kansas Civil Rights Symposium to strengthen trust between law enforcement and communities

 

Prioritized civil-rights enforcement, victim protection, and systemic accountability After leaving the Department of Justice, he became an advocate for change in state laws that criminalize cannabis activities, speaking and writing in the subject. 

 

As General Counsel of The Forgotten Prisoner, Barry advises executive leadership and the Board of Directors while guiding nationwide and international post-conviction, sentence-modification,

and justice-reform initiatives—particularly those addressing outdated cannabis laws and excessive incarceration. His career reflects an unwavering commitment to justice, civil rights, institutional integrity, and

the rule of law—now fully focused on correcting past injustices and restoring dignity to those wrongfully or excessively imprisoned.