James Richie Owen

In my opinion, the best way to describe James Richie Owen lies in a quote (regarding the lawyer Atticus Finch) from the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel To Kill a Mockingbird. “You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view.” That’s the kind of lawyer James Rich...ie Owen is. I’d never been arrested and was extremely scared of what would happen to me. From the day I met James (in my first consultation) all the way to him getting my case dismissed many months later, I always felt James listened to me describe the details of my case as if it was happening to him; and I strongly believe that’s how my case ended with a dismissal. James Richie Owen will fight for you as if he’s fighting for himself. I highly recommend and respect him as a lawyer and a person.

Initially met with Mr. Owen, he explained what “could” happen and what could be done. He is a very clear and direct counsel. He requests what he needs from you and takes care of the rest. All or most communications will be handled through Ms. Jody, his paralegal or aid, but he will make himself avail...able to speak if you make that request. Thank you for being very informative throughout the process. The consistent line of communication and response to emails gives reassurance to your clients during the stressful moments.

We hired James Owen for a DUI that I got over the summer. After contacting various attorneys, he was the one that seemed to be the most caring. I went in for a consult and knew, immediately, that he was the one. I was beating myself up and he was constantly reassuring me that he would do everything h...e could to help. I feel like this is something that all attorneys might say but he continually validated that statement. I went to my first court hearing and the prosecutor was adamant about charging me with a first offense DUI. James suggested that we reschedule since I had been making some changes in my own life (going to rehab, volunteering, being in school, etc). The following court date happened about four months later. We had expected the prosecutor to give us the same offer with the hope of extending the court date once again. However, with the work I had done and James's drive and care, we were able to get the charge reduced to reckless driving. When we were able to take the sigh of relief that it was reduced, James told us that I might have the opportunity to get the entire thing dropped after six months of probation. We continued on with the process to make this happen right there in the courthouse. It did, in fact, go through and in six months the charges will be completely dropped and I will have the opportunity to have the whole thing expunged from my record. During the entire process, James was extremely receptive...we talked via email and phone call whenever necessary. My dad was very involved with the process and when I would talk to James, my dad would call him with additional questions and James was completely open to all of this communication (despite it potentially being a thorn in his side). I would recommend him to anyone in the area. I had several people praying for a desirable outcome and James's efforts to pay off. And it definitely happened. We're still baffled by the outcome. I know a lot of reviews can come off as "fluffed up" but I would be writing a very similar review, regardless of the outcome of my situation. The one thing I can say is that I can promise you that he'll make you feel more like a close friend who's got your back than a client. And he'll bend over backwards to do what he can to help you. I can't be more grateful that our paths crossed.

My daughter was charged with a DUI in Tennessee in 2017 but is a resident of South Carolina. She went online and found reviews for James Owen and subsequently met with him. She was pleased with the meeting so I called and retained him to represent her. From the outset James was very pragmatic but als...o made us feel he was emotionally engaged as well. He told me several times he believed he could get the charges reduced or dismissed which was very important to us. The first court date was in October 2017 and my daughter had completed out patient rehabilitation as well as doing volunteer work and maintaining enrollment in college. James was hopeful the prosecutor would recognize her progress and give her a break. However the prosecutor said he had a solid case and would not change the DUI charge. Wisely, James recommended to us that we reschedule the court date for a few months later since my daughter had decided to go into an inpatient rehabilitation program for 90 days. James thought that good report after a 90 day program would be helpful. We went back to court mid February, 2018 and James was able to convince the prosecutor that the success of my daughters 90 program was notable and worthy of changing the charges. The prosecutor agreed and reduced the charge to Reckless Driving. We were very happy but then James went one step further and introduced the concept of a Judicial Waiver program. We completed the form and James took it to the prosecutor who agreed to sign it. Bottom line...the Reckless Driving charge was dismissed and my daughter is on 6 months probation. Per James, at the end of 6 months of successful he believes he can get the entire record expunged from the record. James Owen went way beyond what we expected or would have accepted and all for the same fee I originally paid him close to a year ago. We would have gladly accepted the Reckless Driving charge but James cared enough for my family to push for everything he could possibly get for my daughter. I believe he took a personal interest in making sure my daughter has a clean start. I am 64 years old and regularly work with business and real estate attorneys. In my career I've only met one other attorney who made me feel as though I was his only client. James Owen is the other. I highly recommend James and am forever grateful our paths crossed.

Recently, my daughter found herself in some legal trouble and we were clueless about how to help her. She is a student at UTK and we do not live in Knoxville. We were also very unfamiliar with anything dealing with legal trouble and council. Mr. Owen was recommended and he did an amazing job. He was ...always available by phone for my many questions and he provided us with peace of mind throughout the whole process. I am so very grateful to him for the excellent job!