Growing up in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., Travis Williams was inspired by the hardships he encountered — hardships he continues to see every day in the faces of his clients.

“I was raised by my aunt. I never knew my father. My mother was going through things with drugs,” says Williams, who is now an assistant public defender in Gainesville. “And so all I had was my aunt. She raised me to be a man and to be tough and I fought my way through growing up.”