Dakota brings a wealth of experience from every side of the criminal justice system to Barnes & Fersten. Prior to law school, Dakota worked as a police officer with the Metro Nashville Police Department for approximately five (5) years. While attending Nashville School of Law, Dakota worked as a law clerk in the Fourth Circuit Court of Davidson County, which is a primarily family law court. Following law school graduation, Dakota worked as an Assistant District Attorney for the Knox County District Attorney’s Office in the DUI & White Collar units.
Thereafter, Dakota joined Barnes & Fersten in January 2026 to utilize his unique knowledge through experience as both a police officer and a prosecutor to provide the highest level of criminal defense to his clients. Dakota has quickly become an integral part of Barnes & Fersten providing exceptional service and incredible results for his clients.
Dakota is a member of the National College of DUI Defense.
Originally from Terre Haute, IN, graduated with a Bachelors Degree in Criminology from Indiana State University and played college football while attending Indiana State University.
Dakota is married to his wife, Laura, and has one daughter. He enjoys hunting, motorcycles and Green Bay Packers football.
Barnes & Fersten PLLC was founded with you, our future client, as the focal point. We work hard every day to deliver each client a high-quality, personalized and aggressive representation in DUI and criminal defense cases.
