J. Caleb Cunningham, Esq.

J. Caleb Cunningham is a debut novelist and a practicing attorney. He graduated from The University of Alabama with a Bachelor of Arts in Communication and Information Sciences. He was a presenting speaker of the 2009 Communication Studies Undergraduate Colloquium and a Blount Undergraduate Initiative graduate. Mr. Cunningham then received his Juris Doctorate from The University of Alabama School of Law, wherein he was a member of the National Trial Advocacy Competition Team and completed Comparative European-American Law at the University of Fribourg, Switzerland.

After law school, Mr. Cunningham practiced in Mobile, Alabama where he gained invaluable experience in criminal defense, family law, and employment matters. He then moved to Tuscaloosa for an in-house counsel position. In Tuscaloosa, Mr. Cunningham furthered his experience with employment matters and corporate transactions. Missing the courtroom, Mr. Cunningham eventually became a prosecuting attorney in Missouri.

As a prosecutor, Mr. Cunningham was trained by the United States Secret Service in technology, and graduated the National Computer Forensics Institute. He worked tirelessly with community organizations, charities, and law enforcement during his tenure as a prosecutor, which included teaching classes for the Missouri Sheriff’s Association Academy and Missouri State University. His reform efforts on the issues of intoxicated boating and driving led to the Missouri Office of Prosecution Services naming him the DWI Hero of the Year 2021. He secured convictions on innumerable cases, including trials on a double murderer, a serial sexual offender, a child rapist, and a violent domestic abuser. A passionate attorney, Mr. Cunningham’s efforts and dedication to his community was recognized by proclamation of the Missouri House of Representatives in 2022.

The State Rests is Mr. Cunningham's reflections on his time as prosecutor in rural Missouri. While humorous at times, it also raises issues regarding the nature of politics and justice in modern America.