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Jonathan Cooper, Knoxville Criminal Defense Attorney

Jonathan D. Cooper

Jonathan Cooper offers decades of experience, unsurpassed personal attention, and zealous representation to his clients. He focuses his practice exclusively in the area of criminal defense, representing citizens accused of crimes in both state and federal courts. His experience of successful representation encompasses the entire spectrum of the criminal justice system, from DUI to homicide, and from narcotics possession to white collar offenses.

Jonathan is a career long member of the Knoxville Bar Association, where he has served on the Board of Governors, as Treasurer of the Board of Directors, and Co-Chair of the Criminal Justice Section. He is a member of the Tennessee Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers where he served as President during the 2019-2020 fiscal year. An active member of the Hamilton-Burnett Inn of Court, Jonathan has served Knox County as Chair of the Ethics Committee, and on both the exploratory and advisory committees for the Knox County Mental Health Court. He is recognized as an BV Distinguished Peer Rated Lawyer by Martindale-Hubbell, by Tennessee Super Lawyers, and Best Lawyers in America, where he has been named the DUI Lawyer of the Year for Knoxville in 2023 and General Criminal Defense Lawyer of the Year in 2021.

He is a 1993 graduate of University of Tennessee School of Law, cum laude, where he participated in Law Review, the National Trial Team, the NACDL Criminal Trial Competition, Moot Court, the Order of Barristers, and was an H.C. Warner Centurion Scholar, and earned his undergraduate, magna cum laude, from Emory & Henry College in Political Science in 1989. Jonathan and his wife, Lisa, have two daughters, Anna and Lucy. They are members of Church Street United Methodist Church. They make their home in Knoxville.

HONORS
CREDENTIALS

EDUCATION:

University of Tennessee College of Law
Knoxville, TN

  • Doctorate of Jurisprudence, 1993
  • Honors: Cum Laude

Emory & Henry College
Emory, VA

  • BA Political Science, May 1989
  • Honors: Magna Cum Laude

BAR & COURT ADMISSIONS:

  • Tennessee Supreme Court, since 1993
  • United States District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee, since 1994
  • United States Circuit Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit, since 1995

PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATIONS:

  • Tennessee Bar Association, since 1993
  • Tennessee Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, since 1993
    • Board of Governors 2013-2016
    • President, 2019-2020
    • President Elect, 2018-2019
    • Treasurer, 2017-2018
    • Secretary, 2016-2017
  • Knoxville Bar Association, since 1993
    • Criminal Justice Section Co-Chair 2008-2014
    • Board of Directors, 2021-2022
    • Treasurer, 2023
  • Knoxville Defense Lawyers Association
  • The National Trial Lawyers Top 100 Lawyers

PUBLICATIONS:

  • April 2023, Knox County Puts New Mental Health Court in Motion, DICTA, Knoxville Bar Association

PROFESSIONAL RECOGNITION:

  • Tennessee Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, Robert W. Ritchie Service Award, 2023
  • Tennessee Super Lawyers, since 2018
  • Best Lawyers in America, since 2016
    • Criminal Defense: General Practice Section, since 2016
    • 2021 Lawyer of the Year, Criminal Defense: General Practice, Knoxville Metro Area
    • DWI/DUI Practice Section, since 2016
    • 2023 Lawyer of the Year, DUI, Knoxville Metro Area
  • Cityview Top Attorney for DUI Defense, 2015
  • Martindale-Hubbell BV Distinguished Peer Rated Attorney
  • Hamilton-Burnett American Inn of Court, 1995-1998

COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT:

  • Knox County Ethics Committee, 2015-2018
    • Chair, 2018
  • Knox County Mental Health Court
    • Exploratory Committee Member, 2022
    • Advisory Committee Member, 2023
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