Words by Anna Lee Vaughn | Images by Justin Hunter
Brandy Feltman grew up in the smallest town in Walker County – Corona, Alabama – six miles from where she would one day open Oakman’s first law office. Growing up, she witnessed family members’ struggles through the criminal justice system. By age 12, she knew her future would include helping others through the same struggles.
After graduating from Oakman High School in 2009, Brandy attended Bevill State Community College in Fayette, Alabama, before attending Mississippi University for Women, where she received her Undergraduate Degree in Legal Studies. She then completed a Law Degree at Birmingham School of Law in December 2016, making her the first in her immediate family to graduate high school and the first in her extended family to hold a professional degree. In September 2017, Brandy passed the bar exam and formed Feltman Law, LLC, inspired by her parents’ business ownership and work ethic.
By the time Brandy became an attorney, she had ten years of experience in the legal field, working alongside individuals such as Judge Hugh Beard, Jim Lakey, Wanda Outlaw, and Ken Guin, as well as those of Nelson, Bryan, and Jones Law Firm.
“I’ve worked with various attorneys throughout my career, and I’m thankful for each of them. They’ve all taught me things that I still use today. But my mentor throughout all this would have to be Judge Hugh Beard. He’s a large part of why I decided to become an attorney,” she recalls. “He was a defense attorney himself, and he is just somebody I have really looked up to.”
Brandy practiced in the Blanton Building in Downtown Jasper until October 2021 before assuming a position at the Walker County Public Defender’s Office handling criminal cases. However, she wished to give back to the community that shaped her. In October 2023, she reopened her private practice in Oakman. “It’s where I was born and raised, went to school, and met my now husband. It’s who I am, and after looking at several locations to reopen my practice, I knew the moment I walked into my new office that I was home,” she says.
Brandy has established her new office within the community, hosting an open house to welcome citizens into her office. She looks forward to running her full-service firm, handling situations from a last will and testament to criminal law or personal injury cases. No matter what, her end goal is to help others.
“I wanted to become an attorney and practice criminal law because I know those who have committed offenses are not necessarily all bad people. They’ve just made bad mistakes and bad choices in life. Their choices can stem from mental health issues, substance abuse, poverty issues, or lack of education,” she says. “My goal is always to help people with the underlying cause of their decision to commit these crimes. I want to help them get into rehab, apply for jobs, or get them signed up for GED classes. I want to better equip these people and give them the support they lack.”
The Walker Leader congratulates Brandy on her new office, and we wish her much success in the future! WL
