Travis A. Williams never lacks motivation in the courtroom.

The 28-year-old's energetic approach to public defense recently earned him the honor of "Assistant Circuit Defender of the Year," an award given by the Georgia Association of Circuit Public Defenders.

"It's good to be recognized for your work," Williams said. "I'm just grateful and thankful that the Association of Public Defenders recognized me in this way."

This was the first year the award was presented, and Williams was among several hundred assistant circuit defenders to be nominated.

"I was shocked when I found out," Williams said. "There's so many good public defenders in the state and in this office, so to be named the most outstanding for the year was something that really blew me away,"

Williams is motivated by much more than awards, though.

Seeing his mother and other family members in and out of prison for much of his childhood, Williams made it his goal to defend people's rights.

"I had a lot of family members who were convicted felons and spent a lot of time in prison, so I wanted to be somebody who fought for the rights of people," he said.

After completing his law degree at the University of Georgia School of Law in 2008, the Fort Lauderdale, Fla., native immediately went to work for the Hall County Public Defender's Office.

Williams' duty is to keep innocent people out of prison, which can save the state thousands of dollars from falsely incarcerating a defendant.

"Hopefully, on my watch no innocent people go to prison," he said.

With a case load of about 130 clients at any given time, he doesn't often have time to bask in the glory of a successful defense.

He has made some memories, though. During closing arguments in a felony obstruction case, Williams wore an orange jumpsuit to portray a fight between his client and another person at the Hall County Jail. His client was convicted of affray, but Williams had that ruling reversed in the Court of Appeals.

"I said a jail wasn't a public place, and the Court of Appeals agreed with me, so I was able to make some law for the first time," Williams said.

Williams said he hopes he can be an influence to young African-Americans to follow in his footsteps, especially given the few that serve as attorneys in Hall County.

"Really, I hope that I'm an influence for African-Americans to get involved in public defense," he said.

It's not a profession for those seeking high salaries, though, he said.

Despite the relatively low pay and long hours, Williams said he plans to spend his professional life as a public defender.

"This is fulfilling work," he said. "This is something I want to invest my life in."

"There's always something new to uncover, and my clients deserve nothing but the best," Williams added. "I have to give my all. This is what I do. I don't eat, I don't sleep, I do this."