James T. Chiles – Top Criminal Law Attorney
McKinney, TX, XX WW/Press/ – Attorney James T. Chiles, Partner with the firm Chiles McGuire Criminal Law, is recognized and distinguished in the Top Attorneys of North America 2027 edition.
Some lawyers spend their careers moving between sides of the courtroom. James T. Chiles never has. From his first day in practice to his current role as Partner at Chiles McGuire Criminal Law in McKinney, Texas, he has represented one kind of client: the accused. That choice reflects a conviction he holds deeply. When the full weight of the State of Texas comes down on a single person, that person deserves an advocate who stands entirely in their corner, without hesitation and without divided loyalties.
His commitment shows in his caseload. Mr. Chiles has handled hundreds of cases in more than twenty Texas counties, with a concentration in Collin County and throughout the Dallas-Fort Worth area. His work covers the full range of criminal law, from misdemeanors that can quietly derail a career to the most serious felonies the State prosecutes. He defends clients facing domestic violence and family violence charges, DWI, drug crimes, sex crimes, crimes against children, murder and homicide, federal offenses, white collar crimes, theft, arson, and juvenile offenses. He also handles criminal appeals, giving clients a path forward even after a conviction. For people who suddenly find their freedom, reputation, and future on the line, that breadth means they can turn to someone who has seen nearly every kind of case and knows how to fight it.
Attorney James T. Chiles was arguing for a living long before he ever stepped into a courtroom. He began competing in debate in 2009 and reached the quarterfinals of the National Debate Tournament as a college competitor, one of the most demanding stages in American collegiate debate. He later coached multiple teams to State championships, passing on the discipline and strategic thinking that carried him to the national level. Counting his years as a competitor and coach, he has spent seventeen years sharpening one skill: finding the weak point in an argument and choosing the right angle to take it apart. Criminal defense rewards that skill every day. A prosecutor’s case is an argument, and every argument has seams. Mr. Chiles has spent most of his life learning how to find them.
Debate trained his mind, and martial arts shaped his mindset. Mr. James T. Chiles credits the two together with giving him what he calls a “built different” approach to his work. Martial arts teaches patience, resilience, and the readiness to keep moving forward under pressure. Debate teaches precision, preparation, and creative problem solving. In the courtroom, those qualities come together as a defense style that is thorough, inventive, and willing to look past the obvious. Where others see a routine case, he looks for the overlooked detail, the unexamined assumption, or the constitutional question that can change everything.
His legal foundation is just as strong. Mr. Chiles earned his Juris Doctor from Southern Methodist University Dedman School of Law, where he served as Chief of the SMU Criminal Justice Clinic. That role put him on the front lines of real cases while he was still a student, representing people who needed help and learning how the system works from the ground up. After graduation, he served as a post-bar intern with the Capital Habeas Unit of the Federal Public Defender’s Office for the Northern District of Texas, where the stakes in criminal law are as high as they can be. He then spent the early years of his career in private practice, learning directly from criminal defense attorneys with decades of trial experience. Those mentors gave him the kind of practical wisdom that no classroom can provide. With that experience behind him, he co-founded Chiles McGuire Criminal Law with his partner, Patrick McGuire, building a firm dedicated to the same mission that has guided him from the start.
Now licensed in Texas for six years and heading into his seventh, Mr. James T. Chiles has already earned recognition that many attorneys spend far longer pursuing. He has been named to the Top 40 Under 40 by The National Trial Lawyers, selected as a Super Lawyers Rising Star, and honored with Avvo’s Client Choice award, among other distinctions. The title that may say the most about him, though, comes from the people he represents. His clients have called him a “lawdog,” a name that captures his tenacity, his loyalty, and his refusal to let go once he takes on a fight.
Attorney James T. Chiles is open about the cases that energize him most. He particularly enjoys defending manufacture and delivery of controlled substances charges, often called MAN/DEL cases, along with family violence assaults and sex offenses. These are cases where the consequences are severe, the evidence is often more complicated than it first appears, and a skilled defense can make a dramatic difference. He also has a special passion for criminal charges that involve the First Amendment’s guarantee of freedom of speech and of the press. For Mr. Chiles, defending those rights is about more than one client. It is about protecting freedoms that belong to everyone. And when a case ends in dismissal, he counts it among the best parts of the job.
Ask Mr. Chiles what drives his success, and his answer is simple: curiosity. He wants to know how things work, why the evidence points where it does, and what the other side hopes nobody will ask. That curiosity pushes him to dig deeper, question more, and prepare harder than anyone expects. It turns a stack of police reports into a puzzle worth solving and a difficult case into an opportunity.
James T. Chiles shows what happens when talent, discipline, and purpose come together in one career. He chose a side long ago and has never wavered. For anyone in McKinney, Collin County, or across North Texas facing a criminal charge, his story is a reminder that an accusation is not the end of the story. With the right advocate, it can be the beginning of a strong defense.
The Top Attorneys of North America, a New York based publication, distinguishes and profiles leading attorneys who have reached a recognizable degree of success and leadership in their field. The directory is valued for promoting awareness of the accomplishments within the North American legal community.
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