About James D.
James D. Purple built a law practice slowly and deliberately. He trained in Tennessee and returned to work in the state he knows well.
He earned his Bachelor of Science in Psychology from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga in 1978. He went on to receive his Juris Doctor from the University of Memphis Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law, completing his J.D. in 1981. Those years shaped his early approach to client work and courtroom preparation.
Purple began his private practice in 1982. He has been active in matters filed in Tennessee courts and has handled proceedings that fall under the Sixth Circuit’s appellate jurisdiction. He set up his own law office that same year and has operated from that base since, representing clients in state and federal matters.
Over more than four decades he has handled a range of legal matters in the state. He has appeared in trial courts and in filings that proceed to the appellate level in the Sixth Circuit. That experience gives him familiarity with both local practice and federal procedural requirements. He works directly with clients, preparing pleadings, handling hearings and pursuing resolutions by negotiation or motion practice when appropriate.
Colleagues describe Purple as steady in the courtroom and attentive to procedural detail. He has balanced courtroom appearances with advising clients on how to proceed before filing. He is known for a methodical approach to case preparation. He has continued to practice through changes in the law and shifts in court procedure, adapting his practice to new filing and discovery rules as they emerged.
Outside courtrooms, Purple’s earlier training in psychology informs his interactions with clients and witnesses. That background has been useful in assessing testimony and in managing client expectations through often stressful processes.
Now in the later stages of a long career, Purple continues to operate his own law office. He remains admitted in Tennessee and to practice in matters within the Sixth Circuit. He currently practices in Tennessee state and federal courts.
