Biographical Information

A native of Shreveport, Louisiana - Elton Richey embarked on the first of several careers when he enlisted in the Army National Guard immediately after high school. After completing Basic Training at FT Polk Louisiana, he was selected for Officer Candidate School and attended the Louisiana Military Academy. Graduating with distinction he was commissioned in the Infantry and completed his training at FT Benning, GA.

 Upon returning home he accepted a position with the Shreveport Police Department, where his father had retired as a Captain. Graduating at the top of his recruit class, Mr. Richey began working as a patrol officer on the evening shift. He spent the next nine years patrolling some of the most dangerous beats in the city. He continued to serve in positions of increasing responsibility in the National Guard and Army Reserves while studying Criminal Justice at Louisiana State University in Shreveport.

"My father believed police officers were supposed to protect a person's rights - not trample them. He taught me to believe in the adage that 'It is better that a thousand criminals go free, than one innocent man be imprisoned.'"

In 1988 Mr. Richey received his Bachelor degree from LSU-Shreveport with honors and was admitted to the Walter F. George School of Law at Mercer University in Macon Georgia. As a law student Mr. Richey worked at the National Criminal Defense College, which is located on the campus of the Mercer Law School. There he was privileged to watch and study some the finest criminal defense practitioners in the country. He later completed the Trial Practice Institute of the National Criminal Defense College and has attended many of its advanced programs.

"The first time I took an oath to uphold the constitution I was seventeen and enlisting in the Army. The last time I was forty and was being admitted to the United States Supreme Court. I have never had a substantial job in my adult life that did not require this oath. As a soldier and as a police officer I helped protect the constitution. As a lawyer, I use the constitution and the law to fight for my client's rights against the government, insurance companies or big corporations."

In 1991, Mr. Richey graduated from Mercer Law School with Honors. He entered private practice in Savannah, GA, as an associate with the firm of Zipperer & Lorberbaum. In 1992, he returned to Louisiana and worked for several years under his mentor, Attorney Wellborn Jack, Jr.

In 1994 Mr. Richey established his own practice and began accepting clients. Since that time he has helped many people facing serious criminal accusations. He has also obtained substantial recoveries for clients who have lost a loved one or who have been seriously injured in an accident.

"Wellborn taught me the importance of listening to my clients. 'You have hundreds of cases', he would say, 'but they have only one.When you know and understand them as well as their case, then you are in a position to give sound advice.'"

In 2003 Mr. Richey was called to active duty as part of the 75th Division (Training Support). His last duty assignment was as The Inspector General, 75th Division (TS). in support of Operations Noble Eagle, Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom. After 31 years of service, Lieutenant Colonel Richey retired from the Army in June 2004 and returned to the fulltime practice of law.

Mr. Richey is a member of the Bar of the United States Supreme Court, the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, as well as the Louisiana Supreme Court. Mr. Richey is licensed in both Louisiana and Georgia and practices in both State and Federal courts. Mr. Richey serves on the Board of Directors of the Louisiana Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers and the Criminal Defense Bar Association of Northwest Louisiana. He is a member of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers and the American Bar Association.

"I practice what I sometimes refer to as 'crisis law.' Most people only call me after something bad has happend to them. But that's okay. I represent people in accident cases and criminal cases because I like to help people. There will always be lawyers willing to represent the government, big corporations and insurance companies. But there can never be enough good lawyers to represent the 'little guy'; I want to be known as a lawyer who helped people.

Mr. Richey makes his home in Shreveport, Louisiana, where he is a member and Deacon of the First Presbyterian Church of Shreveport.