Joseph S. Ozment

Managing partner
Location: Memphis, Tennessee
Phone: 901-525-4357
Fax:(901) 888-6826
Email: Email Me

Joseph S. Ozment earned his Juris Doctor in 1992 from Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law at the University of Memphis in Memphis, Tennessee and has been practicing law in Memphis, Tennessee ever since. For over 20 years, he has represented clients in a variety of criminal and civil legal matters.

He attended and graduated from the National Criminal Defense College in Macon, Georgia in 1993.  He and his office have represented thousands of individuals charged with various criminal offenses in Shelby County and throughout Tennessee. Joseph Ozment has successfully tried a significant number of jury trials ranging from misdemeanors to capital murder, in both State and Federal Court. 

Mr. Ozment is Rule (13) qualified, pursuant to the rules of the Tennessee Supreme Court, to represent individuals charged with capital/death penalty offenses and also has extensive appellate experience in the Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals, Tennessee Supreme Court and The United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit, in Cincinnati, Ohio.
 
Mr. Ozment is a member of the Tennessee Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, The National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, The Tennessee Bar Association and the Memphis Bar Association. He is currently a board member of the Tennessee Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, a board member of the Shelby County Drug Court Foundation and is a former president of the Criminal Law Section of the Memphis Bar Association.
 
In 1996, he was awarded one of the Tennessee Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers highest honors, the Robert W. Richie Award, and in 2013, for his outstanding service to the organization, he was honored with the Tennessee Association of Defense Lawyers Work Horse Award.
 

In addition to representation of clients in all misdemeanor and felony cases in both State and Federal Court, Mr. Ozment and his associates represent individuals in a number of civil matters including, but not limited to, personal bankruptcy, personal injury, divorce and family law.

If you have a legal matter, criminal or civil, that you need assistance with, please contact the office, as Mr. Ozment and his associates can help you.

Areas of Practice

  • Criminal
  • Bankruptcy/ Debtor Representation
  • Divorce/Family Law

Bar Admissions

Tennessee, 1992

Education

  • Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law, Memphis, Tennessee Juris Doctor – 1992
  • University of Tennessee at Knoxville, Knoxville, Tennessee B.S. – 1989 Major: Finance
  • Castle Heights Military Academy, Lebanon, Tennessee

Representative Cases

  • United States v. Horace Bondurant: The 6th Circuit Court of Appeal remanded the case for resentencing resulting in a reduced sentence for the client., 6th Circuit Court of Appeals-Winning Federal Case
  • State of Tennessee v. Erskine Leroy Johnson: Original death penalty sentence thrown out. First Degree Murder Death Penalty case in which the Tennessee Supreme Court vacated or threw out the client’s Death Penalty and granted a new sentencing hearing., Tennessee Supreme Court – Winning Cases
  • State of Tennessee v. Franklin Howard: Original Conviction Reversed. First Degree Murder case in which the Tennessee Supreme Court reversed the client’s conviction and granted a new trial., Tennessee Supreme Court – Winning Cases
  • State of Tennessee v. Antonio Kendrick: Original Conviction Reversed. Rape case in which the Tennessee Supreme Court reversed the client’s conviction and granted a new trial., Tennessee Supreme Court – Winning Cases
  • State v. Chuncy Hollis: Original Conviction Reversed. The client’s First Degree Murder conviction was reversed and the Defendant was granted a new trial., Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals – Winning Cases
  • State of Tennessee v. Leonard Fox: Original Conviction Vacated. A Reckless Endangerment case in which the appeals court vacated and dismissed the client’s case., Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals – Winning Cases
  • State v. Lashun Gray: Original Sentence Reduced. The Court reversed the judgments of the trial court and reduced the client’s sentence for employing a firearm during the commission of a dangerous felony from ten year to six-year sentence., Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals – Winning Cases
  • State v. Richard Gastineau: Original Court’s Action Reversed. Client’s License was revoked for Refusal to take Breath Test. Client was allowed to keep his driver’s license as the trial court was in error when it revoked his license for refusal to take the breath test in a DUI case., Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals – Winning Cases

Honors and Awards

  • TACDL Workhorse Award, 2013 – Present
  • TACDL Robert W. Ritchie Award, 1996 – Present
  • Graduate NACDL National Criminal Defense College, 1993 – Present

Professional Associations and Memberships

  • President of The Tennessee Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, Board Member, 2017-present
  • Tennessee Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, Board Member, 2015 – Present
  • Tennessee Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, Member, 1992 – Present
  • Memphis Bar Association, Member, 1992 – Present
  • Tennessee Bar Association, Member, 1992 – Present

Fraternities/Sororities

  • Alpha Tau Omega