Rhett Owens Named a Top Young Lawyer in Birmingham

About Town’s 20th Anniversary Issue Spotlights a Lawyer Leading Bodewell’s Rise

Bodewell partner and co-founder Rhett Owens has been named one of the Top Young Lawyers in Birmingham, by About Town magazine in its 20th Anniversary Issue. The recognition comes less than three years after Rhett launched Bodewell in 2022—an early, public acknowledgment of the firm’s rapid climb as a go-to trial team for seriously injured people across Alabama and Georgia.

If you’ve been seriously hurt in Alabama or Georgia, you can work directly with the lawyer Birmingham is watching.

Call 205-533-7878 (Alabama) or 706-550-9000 (Georgia), or request a free consultation.

Rhett Owens, partner at Bodewell Legal Group

Leaving “Big Law” to Build a Different Kind of Injury Firm

When Rhett left what he calls “Big Law” to found Bodewell in 2022, he deliberately walked away from the comfort of a large defense practice. Instead of defending corporations and insurers, he chose to represent people whose lives have been upended by catastrophic crashes, unsafe property conditions, medical errors, and nursing home neglect.

The transition was intense—Rhett has described those first months as drinking from a fire hose. A brand-new firm, a growing docket of complex cases, and a vision for a truly trial-focused practice all hit at once. Rather than slow down, he leaned into the pressure. He built systems to investigate every case like it would be tried to a Jefferson County or federal jury: securing black-box and surveillance data, tracking down witnesses before memories faded, working closely with treating doctors and experts, and taking depositions that force the truth onto the record.

That mindset is part of why Rhett stands out among young lawyers in Birmingham. He is open about how much he loves the work—something he jokes almost worries him—and it shows in the preparation clients see behind the scenes and in the confidence he carries into negotiation rooms and courtrooms across Alabama and Georgia.

A Birmingham Loyalist with a Regional Reach

Rhett is a fierce advocate for Birmingham itself. He often notes that if the city had a river running through it, its population might triple—but that its only real shortcoming is water. In every other way, he sees a city with big-city food, culture, and opportunity without big-city headaches: standout restaurants, world-class museums, beautiful outdoor spaces, and some of the best golf in the Southeast.

He is equally clear-eyed about what it will take to keep Birmingham surging: real investment in public safety, better pay and training for officers, and incentives that attract and keep high-quality businesses downtown and in surrounding neighborhoods. That same long-term view shapes his injury practice. When Rhett holds a negligent driver, trucking company, or property owner accountable, he is focused not just on one settlement, but on making roads, workplaces, and communities safer for everyone who calls this region home.

Under Rhett’s leadership, Bodewell has quickly grown from a new Birmingham firm into a regional trial practice. Within a few short years, the team has taken on serious cases from Huntsville to Dothan, from the Alabama coast to metro Atlanta and Columbus. The Legal Eagle recognition is, in many ways, the city’s way of saying it sees what is happening: a young firm moving fast, trying major cases, and changing expectations for what an injury practice can look like in Alabama and Georgia.

The Lawyer Families Trust When Everything Is on the Line

Ask Rhett what he is proudest of and he will start with his family—his wife, Gunter, and their children, Helen and Charlie. That perspective matters when he represents clients whose futures hinge on a single case. He understands exactly what it means to worry about a mortgage payment, a child’s education, or long-term medical care when an injury has taken away paychecks and stability.

Clients who work with Rhett and the Bodewell team see the combination that earned him Top Young Lawyer status:

• Relentless preparation: Every serious case is built as if it will be tried—because many of them are.
• Reputation with insurers: Opponents know Bodewell is not afraid of the courtroom, which can move negotiations.
• Straight talk and access: Clients hear the truth about their case and work directly with Rhett, not a distant call center.
• Regional perspective: Deep familiarity with Alabama’s contributory negligence rules and Georgia’s comparative fault system, and how those laws affect value.

For injured people, an honor like Legal Eagle status is more than a line on a résumé. It is one more confirmation that when you put your case in Rhett’s hands, you are working with a lawyer whose work is respected inside and outside the courtroom—and whose firm is ascending quickly in both states.

Talk with Rhett About Your Case

If you or someone you love has been seriously injured in Alabama or Georgia, you do not have to navigate the next steps alone. Rhett and the Bodewell team can move quickly to preserve evidence, coordinate with your medical providers, and outline a strategy tailored to your specific case. Many claims must be filed within two years; some notices are shorter—call to confirm your exact deadline.

See what a top lawyer at Birmingham’s fast-rising trial firm can do for you.

Call 205-533-7878 (Alabama) or 706-550-9000 (Georgia), or contact Bodewell online to schedule your free consultation.

Past results do not guarantee future outcomes. This page provides general information, not legal advice.