Retired Judge Albert David Kirby, Jr., is a native of Clinton, North Carolina. He graduated from Clinton High School in 1976 and attended Wake Forest University on a full football scholarship. Judge Kirby was the starting fullback for the Demon Deacons for two seasons. He graduated from Wake Forest in 1980. Judge Kirby graduated from Campbell University School of Law, now the Norman Adrian Wiggins School of Law. Following law school, his legal career began with the Judge serving as an assistant District Attorney of the 12th Prosecutorial District comprising Cumberland and Hoke counties.
After serving as assistant District Attorney in Fayetteville (Cumberland County), Judge Kirby accepted a job as Assistant District Attorney in the 3rd Prosecutorial District made up of Pitt County. In addition to working as an Assistant District Attorney in Greenville (Pitt County), attorney Kirby worked as an Adjunct Professor of Criminal Justice at East Carolina University. He enjoyed teaching so much that he became a full-time Professor of Criminal Justice in the School of Social Work at East Carolina University. After his work as a college Professor and Assistant District Attorney, Judge Kirby moved back home and established the Kirby Law Firm. One of his first clients was the Clinton City Schools Board of Education. Judge Kirby served as the School Board Attorney for nearly twenty-five years. The Kirby Law Firm was created as a general practice with a concentration in the areas of Plaintiff Personal Injury, Worker’s Compensation, Domestic law (uncontested divorces), and Criminal Defense (including Driving While Impaired and traffic offenses). Judge Kirby was ordained as a Baptist Minister in 2015 and obtained his Master of Divinity degree from Campbell University Divinity School in May 2024. He was inducted into the Wake Forest University Sports Hall of Fame, receiving the Gene Hooks Award for excellence in 2019. Attorney Kirby has nearly forty years of experience litigating civil and criminal cases.