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Columbus Criminal Defense Lawyer
Overview
Stephen E. Palmer is a trusted Columbus criminal defense attorney for more than 26 years. Steve has developed a distinctive approach that puts clients at ease and gets to the heart of the matter to relieve fear and anxiety. Clients who work with Steve feel an almost immediate sense of relief after that initial conversation, because they understand that he will solve the problem and they will get through it. He is well known for his ability to simplify matters that feel very complex to clients.
Steve communicates in a language everyone understands. He delivers the good news, the bad news, and the ‘we need more information to answer that’ news. At the close of every case, Steve’s clients are confident that they received the very best possible outcome for their cases.
Experience Matters
Steve’s 26 years of experience spans thousands of cases and countless jury trials ranging from DUIs and misdemeanors to high visibility, complex federal cases. He believes no two cases are the same, and neither are his clients’ needs. To Steve, criminal defense isn’t just about representing a client in court; it’s about helping people solve their problems. Problems that are often not black and white legal matters.
He has practiced in courts all over the State of Ohio and in federal courts nationwide. His expertise and success have caught the attention of other criminal defense attorneys, leading Steve to provide consulting services for attorneys who need winning courtroom strategies.
Steve is both comfortable and capable of handling any matter inside (and outside) the courtroom. He draws upon his vast network (both local and national) to assemble the right experts, investigators, and consultants to meet the needs of each individual case and client. And when approached with cases outside his practice area, he helps people find the right person for the job through his extensive referral network of attorneys who practice other areas of the law.
Notoriety
Steve has been listed as a Top Lawyer on the Ohio Super Lawyers list every year since 2011. He was also featured in Columbus Business First’s 20 People to Know in 2014. He is a long-standing member of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (NACDL) and remains active in the Ohio State Bar Association, speaking regularly on various criminal defense topics.
On The Air
For the past 15 years, Steve has provided the Columbus radio audience with legal input on several local morning radio shows. He appeared every Wednesday morning on the highly-rated morning show 99.7 The Blitz with Loper and Randi. He has provided hundreds of callers with legal (and non-legal) insight on a wide range of problems.Steve also produces a regular podcast, Lawyer Talk Q & A, which is dedicated to answering questions asked by the public about various legal problems and situations.
Outside Of The Office
Aside from law, Steve is an avid outdoorsman. He enjoys hunting, shooting, and virtually any other activity that puts him in touch with nature and the woods. With a background in construction, he also enjoys the quiet solitude of carpentry and woodworking. And when not in the courtroom, woods, or workshop, he enjoys classical guitar and continues with regular instruction and occasional performance.
About Steve Palmer
Current Employment Position(s)
- Owner and Partner
Practice Areas
- Criminal Defense
Qualifications
Bar Admissions
- Ohio, 1995
- U.S. District Court Southern District of Ohio, 1996
- U.S. Court of Appeals 6th Circuit, 1998
- U.S. Supreme Court, 2002
Other Affiliations
- Ohio State Bar Association (Member)
- Columbus Bar Association (Member)
- National Association of Criminal Defense Attorneys (Member)
Classes and Seminars
- Seminar Speaker, Criminal Advocacy, Ohio State Bar Association, 2015
Past Positions
- R. William Meeks, Clerk
Education
- Capital University Law School, Columbus, Ohio, 1995
J.D.
Honors: magna cum laude
Honors: R. William Meeks, Clerk
Law Review: Capital University Law School Law Review - College of Wooster, 1992
B.A.
Major: History
Fees
Accepts Credit Cards
Articles
Published Works
- Ohio Courtroom Evidence, Third Edition, Lexis Law Publishing, 1998, co-authored with his father, John Palmer
- Order of the Curia, Law Review, Capital University, 1994-1995. Co-Author State v. Vega and Ohio’s Operating Motor Vehicle While Intoxicated (OMVI) Law: per se Unconstitutional? Capital University Law Review, No. 3, Vol., 24, 1995
Office Information
Address
511 S. High StreetSuite #100 Columbus, OH 43215
Phone
Websites
Achievements
Other Sources of Feedback About Steve Palmer
Included on the 2025 Ohio Super Lawyers list
Past Lists
- 2024 Ohio Super Lawyers list
- 2023 Ohio Super Lawyers list
- 2022 Ohio Super Lawyers list
- 2021 Ohio Super Lawyers list
- 2020 Ohio Super Lawyers list
- 2019 Ohio Super Lawyers list
- 2018 Ohio Super Lawyers list
- 2017 Ohio Super Lawyers list
- 2016 Ohio Super Lawyers list
- 2015 Ohio Super Lawyers list
- 2014 Ohio Super Lawyers list
- 2013 Ohio Super Lawyers list
- 2012 Ohio Super Lawyers list
- 2011 Ohio Super Lawyers list
Honors
- Top Lawyer, Ohio Super Lawyers list, 2011 – 2016
- Listed in Martindale-Hubbell’s Bar Register of Preeminent Lawyers, earning the AV Peer Review Rating
- Columbus Business First’s 20 People to Know, 2014
- Lawyer Talk Podcast, ranked #2 for 15 Best Criminal Defense Podcast in 2022 by the Feedspot blog.
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