Good Neighbor Podcast: TN-WNC-SWVA

EP# 363: Inside Oldfield Law: Care, Clarity, And Courage In East Tennessee

• Skip Mauney & Rochelle Oldfield • Episode 363

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When family life collides with the legal system, the stakes are high and the path is murky. We sat down with attorney Rochelle Oldfield of Oldfield Law Tennessee to bring clarity to the mess, exploring how a client-first, child-centered approach can steady families through adoption, DCS cases, divorce, and custody changes. Rochelle’s journey from prosecuting child abuse and domestic violence to advocating for parents offers a rare view of both sides of the courtroom, and it shapes how her firm delivers care, not just counsel.

We talk about why specialization matters in family law, how inside knowledge of DCS procedures can protect a parent’s rights, and the practical habits that actually move cases forward: documenting interactions, honoring court orders, and aligning every decision with a child’s best interests. Rochelle also confronts persistent myths about “greedy” or “dishonest” lawyers, explaining the ethical guardrails that govern the profession and the real costs of running a practice that can show up for clients across East Tennessee. With a team that includes a former juvenile court magistrate and a child welfare law specialist, Oldfield Law blends courtroom strategy with lived empathy.

Beyond the docket, Rochelle shares life as a hockey mom and a story of resilience after being on her own at sixteen—experiences that make her advice both practical and grounded. The result is a conversation filled with clear next steps for anyone facing family law challenges and a reminder that compassion is a competitive advantage when the future of a family is on the line.

If this conversation gave you clarity or comfort, follow the show, share it with someone who needs it, and leave a quick review so more neighbors can find it. Have a question you want us to explore next? Send it our way.

SPEAKER_00:

This is the Good Neighbor Podcast, the place where local businesses and neighbors come together. Here's your host, Skip Marty.

SPEAKER_01:

Well, hello everyone, and welcome to the Good Neighbor Podcast at East Tennessee and Western North Carolina. So today I am very excited to have a very special guest with us in the studio for the first time. And uh I'm super excited to learn all about them and their practice, and I'm sure you will be as well. Because today I have the pleasure of introducing your good neighbor, Miss Rochelle Oldfield of Oldfield Law Tent TN. Rochelle, welcome to the show.

SPEAKER_02:

Thank you very much for having me. I'm really excited to be here. Uh, heard a lot of great things about your podcast and um very much appreciate you uh including me in it.

SPEAKER_01:

Well, well, thank you for saying that. And like I said, super excited to learn all about you and what you do. So if you don't mind, why don't you kick us off by telling us about uh your law firm?

SPEAKER_02:

Sure. So we are a family law firm, Oldfield Law, Tennessee. We practice exclusively in the family law area, adoptions, termination of parental rights. We handle dependency and neglect or DCS cases, as well as divorces and custody modifications. Um, we have chosen to focus solely on family law because we believe that by focusing, we're able to provide the best expertise and skills by focusing on one specific area of the law. Um we have two attorneys currently with us, myself and uh Jason Bettingfield. Um he was the former magistrate or one of the former magistrates of Blunt County Juvenile Court. Um and I myself am a child welfare law specialist as well as a former DCS attorney. So we have a lot of um passion about the topics that we do. So um and we serve all of East Tennessee. We'll drive just about just about anywhere if somebody needs uh representation. So um we've been in Cock County and Severe County and Campbell and Scott and White and um so we've we've been all over the place.

SPEAKER_01:

Wow, it sounds like it. Well, tell us about you, your journey. How did uh how did you get here?

SPEAKER_02:

Uh well I am uh not from Tennessee originally, so I uh went to uh undergrad in the University of Denver in Colorado, and then went to law school at the University of South Carolina. And I know that to be a gamecock is not a popular thing here in uh East Tennessee, but I have no allegiances uh to that, so uh nobody kill me yet. Um so I I started um my practice as a prosecutor in South Carolina. I prosecuted uh child sex abuse cases and domestic violence cases um for uh the prosecution office in Aiken, South Carolina, and I did that for several years. Um I am licensed in South Carolina, and then my family, um, my husband, we moved all the way back to where we're originally from, up in the Northwest, which is Washington State. Um, and I worked there um doing some child sex abuse cases as well. And we were only there for about a year before my husband got transferred down here to Tennessee. So um I decided to take my third bar exam here in Tennessee and uh went to work for the Department of Children's Services. And um I did not like the way that parents were treated and the way some of the cases were just the way they were handled and decided in 2019 that I wanted to go out on my own and be able to provide people uh good representation with someone who knows the ins and outs of how the system works, um be able to give parents a little bit of insight. So we are mostly a parent or custodian representation. We don't do a lot of guardian and lighter work representing children, but um we always look for what's in the best interest of the kids, regardless of who we represent. So um I never thought that I'd be doing family law. I'm not one of those people who will say that I grew up always wanting to be a lawyer, um, but I have a very strong passion for it uh now and um can't imagine doing anything else.

SPEAKER_01:

Very good. Great story, too, by the way.

SPEAKER_02:

Oh, thank you.

SPEAKER_01:

So, uh, what are some myths or misconceptions in the family law business?

SPEAKER_02:

So I I asked everyone in my office this question because I wanted to get a good uh overview of what they would say. And what we got back was that the most popular misconceptions are that attorneys are dishonest and greedy. Um and I think that, of course, you can find that in any industry, but I think in general, attorneys are held to very strict standards. We can lose our license if we're dishonest. So we're probably more honest and held to that standard more than than most industries. Um, and the idea that we're greedy, I think I understand where it comes from. Um, I think there's this idea that all attorneys just care about money. And I I would be lying if I didn't say I've run across some of those themselves, but at least in our case, we truly do care um about the families that we represent. And um although, of course, we have to get paid, you know, we we can't represent people well if we don't have a building and staff and the things that we need. Um, but our clients to us are more than just their check.

SPEAKER_01:

Very good. And that is a real misconception. Um you know, I guess you know, some of these uh attorneys where you see the billboards, they're ambulance chasers. Yeah. So, you know, I don't give attorneys uh, but I have several very good friends that are attorneys, they're good people and like you, it sounds like so.

SPEAKER_02:

Well, I like we try to be absolutely. I mean, uh nobody is perfect, I will uh admit to that. I think anybody who doesn't and tries to say they're perfect is wrong, but um that's one of the reasons that I went out on my own was I really wanted a business that did its best to put the client first.

SPEAKER_01:

Very good. Now it sounds like you work a lot. Um, when you're not in the office, what do you like to do for fun?

SPEAKER_02:

Well, when I'm when I'm not in the office, I'm usually in an ice rink. Um, but I have two boys, and both of my boys have played youth hockey um since they were about three or four years old. Um, and they played competitive travel hockey um all the way up, my oldest all the way until he graduated high school. My youngest is still playing. So we spend most of our evenings and weekends at practices and games. Um, so we're usually bundled up year-round in an ice rink.

SPEAKER_01:

Oh, wow. Wow. And I guess that started out out west. Or I guess.

SPEAKER_02:

Uh well, my husband's Canadian, so uh he was born in Calgary. So he uh my kids had no choice. But yes, my oldest um he put on his skates for the first time when we were in Washington State. Um, but other than that, both of my kids um are southerners. They've lived in the south their entire life and played hockey. Um, we play at cool sports on uh Watt Road by down Kingston Pike, and uh it's a it's a great program, and and we've been a part of it for over a decade.

SPEAKER_01:

So wow, wow, generational.

SPEAKER_02:

Yes.

SPEAKER_01:

Um, so uh well let's switch gears for just a second. Um can you think of a hardship, whether personal or professional, that you've overcome and you were stronger when you came out the other side?

SPEAKER_02:

So I thought about this quite a bit when I when I seen this, uh, and I I always question how to answer these, but I really feel that the the honest answer is when I was 16, I was kicked out of my house. And um I didn't have anywhere anywhere to go. And I got kicked out of my grandmother's house and um barely graduated high school. And so that whole period of my life was an extreme challenge. I was living on my own and going to high school and trying to work, and um although, you know, I mean I I have a relationship with my family now, it's not like it's you know gone and that didn't destroy it, but it did take a while to repair that. And um I think it really taught me that I can depend on myself and that I'm resilient and really did kind of help me figure out what's best for me. Um, and so I I don't know that I would have it any other way at this point, but um, by far I would say that was probably one of the biggest challenges um that I've experienced. But I do think I'm much stronger for it, being able to have overcome that and and succeeded to the level I have.

SPEAKER_01:

And look at you now. I mean, you're an attorney. Good lord. Yeah, you've come a long way.

SPEAKER_02:

You can do anything if you really put your mind to it.

SPEAKER_01:

So absolutely couldn't agree more. Well, if you could uh, Rochelle, if you could think of one thing that you would uh like our listeners and viewers to remember about you and about uh Oldfield uh law firm, what would that be?

SPEAKER_02:

I think it kind of goes back to what I said earlier is that we we really do care. Um, we're not perfect, but if I could uh have people understand one thing about us, about me, and about this business, is that we truly are here because we care about the families in East Tennessee. And we will do our absolute best to make sure that you come out of this as stronger than you came into, whatever the uh dispute or conflict is that you're um involved in. Um we really like to dig into our cases. So I think that that is what I hope that people are able to understand is that there is really should be more to your lawyer than just do they have a law degree and you know, have they practiced before? Um they there should be some level of compassion and care that they have for you and your family. And uh we have that here. We we strive really hard for that.

SPEAKER_01:

Awesome. Good thing to remember. And let's say uh, you know, some of our viewers, listeners uh are in need of a family, they have an issue and and they need help with that, a legal issue. Um, how can they learn more?

SPEAKER_02:

Well, we can go to our website, it's um www.oldfieldlaw.net. Um all of our information is there. They can also call the office. Um our number is 865-470-4105. Um, we're also on Facebook, Oldfield Law Tennessee, and Instagram as well. Um so they can send us messages there if they would like. Um and we would love to hear from them and chat chat to them and see if there's a way that we can help them with whatever the issue is that they're facing.

SPEAKER_01:

All right, very good. Well, Rochelle, I can't tell you how much I appreciate you taking time out of your very busy schedule to spend some time and hang out with us and tell us all about you and your law firm and all the great things you're doing for the community. And um, going forward, wish you, your family, uh, your practice all the best.

SPEAKER_02:

All right, thank you so much for having me.

SPEAKER_01:

Thank you, and uh maybe we can have you back sometime.

SPEAKER_02:

Sounds great.

SPEAKER_01:

All right, thanks so much. Have a great rest of the day.

SPEAKER_02:

You too.

SPEAKER_00:

Thank you for listening to the Good Neighbor Podcast. To nominate your favorite local businesses to be featured on the show, go to GNP Tri Dash Cities dot com. That's GNP Tri Dash Cities dot com or call four two three seven one nine five eight seven three.