Chris Randle is an experienced attorney and a Lieutenant Colonel in the U.S. Army Reserves with nearly two decades of service in civilian and military legal fields. With a comprehensive legal background spanning criminal law, family law, military justice, and civil settlements, he brings a unique blend of legal expertise and leadership experience to his professional roles.
As a senior litigation attorney at O’Hara and O’Hara in Wichita, Kansas, he represents clients in a wide range of legal matters, including family law, criminal defense, and military-related cases. His work spans various jurisdictions and often involves high-level felony cases and complex litigation. He is an active member of the Wichita Bar Association and is committed to advocating for individuals and small businesses in his legal practice.
Prior to joining O’Hara and O’Hara, Chris Randle held a similar role at Cordell & Cordell, where he focused on nationwide family law cases. His early legal career included serving as an Assistant District Attorney in the 18th Judicial District of Kansas, prosecuting felony cases such as property crimes, assault, and drug offenses. In addition, he worked as a Settlement Consultant for Arcadia Settlements Group, negotiating complex settlements across the U.S., particularly in workers' compensation, medical malpractice, and automobile accidents.
In the U.S. Army Reserves, Randle serves as the staff judge advocate for the 2nd Legal Operations Detachment in New Orleans. He holds a top secret/SCI security clearance and has served in multiple deployments, including operational law officer roles in Baghdad, Iraq, and as a battalion judge advocate in Djibouti, Africa. His military service also includes roles as a special victims' counsel and chief of operational law at Fort Hood, TX, and brigade judge advocate for the 259th Military Intelligence Brigade.
Randle has been recognized with numerous awards throughout his military service, including the Defense Meritorious Service Medal, Meritorious Service Medal, and the Army Commendation Medal.
On defining moments that helped shape his career, Randle cites his deployments as affecting how he views each day. “Iraq and Africa were tough places with very real problems. I try to remember that some of the problems we get caught up in as American citizens do not (many times) compare to those in war-torn areas,” he explains.
Randle, who earned his Juris Doctor from the University of Kansas School of Law, where he was a member of a national moot court team, says he always wanted to be an attorney. While he enjoys the academic side of the law, what he likes most is being able to establish personal relationships and help people in difficult situations.
However, he advises never to let a client become a friend. “Be caring, open, and honest but be an advocate and not a personal friend,” he says. “Separate clients and work from your personal life - always keep a line and keep a barrier.”
Randle’s personal and professional values guide him each day. With every case he takes, he says he tries to remember that the client is coming to him at a very difficult time and he treats them as he would want to be treated. He notes that he has made some resolutions this year, one of which is to let go of mistakes and not to let them define him. He follows the adage that many mothers have told their children over the years, “If you don’t have something nice to say about someone, say nothing at all.”
Another goal Randle has set for himself is one that may be universal - and that is to work and focus on what he can control.
Community service and giving to charitable organizations is important to Randle - he is involved with Pathway Church in Wichita and regularly donates to St. Jude Children’s Hospital.
Others who have inspired Randle are Steve Jobs, the former CEO of Apple, for what Randle considers his “sheer brilliance,” and Ryan Ferguson, who spent nearly 10 years in prison after being wrongfully convicted of a 2001 murder in his hometown of Columbia Missouri, for his “amazing outlook on life.” Ferguson, who was a high school student at the time of his conviction, devoted his time to fitness and health while in prison and became a certified personal trainer. After his release, he hosted an MTV series entitled “Unlocking the Truth,” a serialized documentary following other cases of possible wrongful conviction. In 2022, he was a contestant on “The Amazing Race.”
Success for Randle is a happy family and financial security. “I do not even define success as me being happy. If my family is happy, then I am happy and believe that I am successful,” he says.
Guiding his daughter through a difficult decision during college is an example of ensuring happiness in his family. “She was struggling in her first year of college at Nebraska and I was the first one, and the one consistently convincing her to transfer. I also told her that no matter what the cost, or how much she was giving up in a scholarship, that we would make it work. That I would find a way to make her new out-of- state school work, and the only thing that mattered was her happiness. She is now at Colorado State and as happy as she has ever been. She told me that I was the one who believed in her and supported her move, unconditionally, from the beginning.”
Chris Randle lives by his values both in his personal life and in his career. His experience and determination to achieve the best possible outcomes for people in difficult situations is what make him stand out. Perhaps the best way to describe who Randle is can be summed up in his own words: “I believe everyone, no matter who they are or where they are from, has value and importance in the world.”
