Lydia JoAnn Barrett was born in Dallas, Texas, in 1958. She is the daughter of a United Methodist Minister and an Early Childhood Educator. She earned a Juris Doctorate in 1985 from the University of Oklahoma. Ms. Barrett has received numerous honors and awards throughout her career.

Lydia JoAnn Barrett is married to Richard L. Denney, her partner in life, love, and law. She is a principal in Denney & Barrett, P.C. She has had the privilege of trying numerous lawsuits to million-dollar verdicts. She practices in multiple jurisdictions, at both the State and Federal level, and has been admitted to practice before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit and Fifth Circuit and the U.S. District Court for the Eastern, Northern, and Western Districts of Oklahoma and The Supreme Court for the United States of America, and having received pro hac vice admissions in numerous states.

Ms. Barrett is currently a member of the Oklahoma Bar Association, the American Bar Association, Cleveland County Bar Association, the American Association, and the Oklahoma Association for Justice. She has concentrated her legal efforts toward exposing the automobile industry's knowledge of defects in various vehicles, including those involving inertial release and spool-out of the seat belt buckles and seat backs, rollover propensity of cars such as the Ford Explorer and 15 passenger vans, and the Ford/Firestone recall. She rigorously pursues documentation and the automobile industry's knowledge of deadly defects.

In addition to her legal pursuits, Ms. Barrett enjoys singing in her church Chancel Choir at McFarlin Memorial United Methodist Church and her membership in her social fraternity, Alpha Phi. More than anything, she loves spending time with her three children and two grandchildren.