Attorney Profile

Meet James T. Chiles

It was on the debate team that I first trained in and fell in love with advocacy.

It was in law school that I decided my talent could make a difference for those who feel the most powerless in our legal system.

I believe everyone deserves to have their rights protected, be educated about the situation in which they find themselves, and be aware of all of their choices – including their choice to fight.

My first job was contracting as a critic and consultant for speech and debate teams. During law school, I clerked at a few civil litigation firms and served as a researcher for a revision of the book Trial Objections.

Next, I dedicated myself to criminal defense and built the foundation of experience that I put to use for my clients today.
Later in law school, I was able to represent dozens of defendants in SMU’s Criminal Justice Clinic under the supervision of more experienced attorneys while I had my associate membership to the Texas State Bar. Even as a law student, I succeeded in getting a number of cases dismissed, and successfully suppressed evidence in DWI cases.

After taking the bar, I worked in the unit of the Federal Public Defender’s Office that handled all of the death penalty appeals in the Northern District of Texas (Capital Habeas Unit) while awaiting my license to practice law.

Once I passed the bar, I started working with a criminal defense law firm in Dallas. During that time, I handled many cases, mostly serious felonies.

And now I am here to serve you.

In short, it’s my mission to empower people to choose their own destiny in the face of a system that makes them feel powerless.