About
Defending the Innocent. Challenging the unjust.
Born and raised just down the mountain in Statesville, North Carolina, John Pritchard graduated from the same Statesville Senior High School where his mother taught English and Latin. He then followed in his father’s footsteps by graduating from the University of North Carolina, majoring in both Philosophy and Peace, War, and Defense.
He left Chapel Hill for Wake Forest University School of Law where he was a member of the Trial Bar. After graduating in 2000, his first legal job was as an Assistant District Attorney “down east” in Washington, North Carolina. In 2007 he joined the DA’s office here in Asheville. In more than ten years as an ADA he prosecuted thousands of cases and hundreds of jury and bench trials in almost
every type of case there is.
John was chosen as a Special Assistant United States Attorney in 2011 and in 2014
became a fulltime Assistant United States Attorney with the Western District of
North Carolina. Working out of the Asheville office he prosecuted all manner of
cases, including firearms, violent felonies, immigration, drug trafficking, and
offenses on federal lands. From 2015 until leaving the office he served as the
USAO’s Tribal Liaison to the two federally recognized tribes within the district, the
Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians and the Catawba Nation. In that role he worked
not only as the government’s representative with the tribes but also prosecuting
so-called “Indian Country” crimes with federal jurisdiction, including murder,
assault, arson, child abuse, and casino fraud.
In January 2024 he opened The Pritchard Firm to help people facing some of the
most challenging, scary, and difficult moments of their lives.
When not practicing law, John and his wife are probably trying to pack in more “family fun” with their two sons. He enjoys listening to loud rock ‘n roll as well as watching his favorite sports teams, especially the Owen teams on which his sons play.
