Keith Owen

Campbell

Attorney

at Law

Mr. Campbell was born in 1966 in Wheeling WV. Growing up in WV the son of a carpenter father and a homemaker mother allowed Mr. Campbell the opportunity to learn many things about self-reliance and family values. A gifted student, Mr. Campbell excelled in school, winning academic awards and being selected by his schools to represent them in various events. Mr. Campbell attended WV Northern Community College while in Jr. High School and also while attending Wheeling Park High School (Class of ’84). After graduating from Wheeling Park, Mr. Campbell began academic studies at West Virginia Institute of Technology in Montgomery, WV. It was there that he, due to horrible academic performance caused by equally horrible college-life choices, received a letter from the school suggesting that he “find an academic institution better suited to his special educational needs.” After a short, but intense, conversation with his father (Mr. Campbell listened as his father “explained” a little about life), wherein Mr. Campbell realized that his father had no clue about life, Mr. Campbell joined the Marine Corps for a 6-year enlistment. After about 3 days on Parris Island Mr. Campbell realized that he was wrong and that his father was, in fact, a genius and was right about just about every piece of advice he had ever given his son…Read more.

During his 6 years in the Marines, Mr. Campbell was rapidly promoted to the rank of Sergeant, though he had been placed in the position of Platoon Sergeant when he was only a Lance Corporal. By trade, Mr. Campbell was an automotive mechanic (finishing 3rd in his class) and a wrecker driver. He graduated from the Camp Lejeune Non-Commissioned Officers Training School also 3rd in his class. During his time in the Marines Mr. Campbell was fortunate enough to embark upon 2 tours of the Mediterranean, visiting numerous countries in the area. After returning from the last Med Float, Mr. Campbell was deployed to Operations Desert Shield/Desert Storm, after which his end of enlistment came due and he exited the Corps with an Honorable Discharge. In the Marines, Mr. Campbell learned a lot about self-reliance, determination and dealing with people, both in time of calm and times of adversity.

After his time in the Marines, Mr. Campbell returned to WV to begin his life. Mr. Campbell first secured a position as a dispatcher for a trucking company but the company moved their operation to Mississippi not even 2 months after Mr. Campbell’s employment had begun. Relying on the old Marine Corps joke that a Marine, if nothing else could always make a living cleaning, Mr. Campbell got a loan for a trailer and pressure washer and started Panhandle Power Washing, which quickly expanded to include general handyman work as well as painting. Eventually, Mr. Campbell worked at Bellofram Corporation where he began as a molder and quickly rose to the position of supervisor. Mr. Campbell left Bellofram to become a jobsite secretary for Foster Wheeler Constructors due to his understanding of the computer system they used to track their tools. Since Mr. Campbell had an  understanding of the trades, he soon became the person conducting the purchasing for the crafts. Upon learning of this, Foster Wheeler asked Mr. Campbell to take over the Purchasing Agent position at their Chicago, Illinois Waste (to electric) incinerator for 3 months in Robbins, IL until they could find a permanent replacement. After 9 months, Mr. Campbell was given his choice of 3 job sites to return to but he wanted to stay in IL.

After being denied a position as a purchasing agent for a steel mill due to lack of college, Mr. Campbell decided to take a gamble and used his savings to pay cash for a semester of school until his Veteran’s Administration benefits could kick in. Mr. Campbell completed his A.S. at Kishwaukee College in one year and transferred to Southern Illinois University where he completed his B.S. in Management Information Systems, graduating Magna Cum Laude.Based upon Mr. Campbell’s skill and ability as a tutor at Southern Illinois University, he was offered a Graduate Assistantship if he would remain and continue tutoring. Mr. Campbell then commenced a duel Graduate Degree, seeking both a Masters of Information Services and a Masters of Business Administration. Having received Mr. Campbell’s GMAT scores, Rutgers Law Camden sent him an invitation to apply. This invitation was sent to 300 prospective students and of the respondents, 20 would be chosen for admission with their LSAT requirement being waived. Mr. Campbell’s golden ticket was actually a RutLaw T-shirt received in the mail, acknowledging that he had been accepted. Since there was such a short notice and no time to find an apartment in New Jersey, Mr. Campbell pulled a 31 foot camper to New Jersey and lived in it for his first semester of Law School, having done the same for his first semester at Southern Illinois University and while working in Chicago. Mr. Campbell arrived at Law School and immediately become well known due to his loud voice, large size and hillbilly (mistaken for southern) accent.

During his time between his first and second years of Law School, Mr. Campbell returned to SIUE to complete his Master’s Degree though due to timing issues he had to forego the Masters in Information Systems and settled for an MBA alone. While at Law School, Mr. Campbell received several service awards, such as the Mary Philbrook award and Pro Bono Service award. Additionally, he was awarded an Association of Public Interest Lawyers’ grant to work at South Jersey Legal Services for 10 weeks. At the end of his 10 weeks, SJLS offered Mr. Campbell a Violence Against Women Act grant so that he could remain working there throughout his 3rd year of law school. At the end of his 3rd year of Law School, a friend and mentor at SJLS prompted Mr. Campbell to apply for a judicial clerkship, which he did. While waiting for the start of his judicial clerkship, Mr. Campbell took, and passed, the New Jersey and Pennsylvania state bar exams. Upon his admission to those state bars, he was also admitted to practice before the United States Federal Court, District of New Jersey. During his one-year judicial clerkship, where he clerked for the Honorable Robert W. Page, J.S.C.

Mr. Campbell sought varying employment opportunities, each of which entailed someone receiving a large some of money based upon Mr. Campbell’s work, while Mr. Campbell received just enough to live on. Determining that freedom was more important than money anyway and that it made more sense to receive all of the fruits of his labor vice having some “employer” skim 80% or more off the top, Mr. Campbell decided to hang his own shingle and began his practice with no more than a cell phone and a laptop the day after his clerkship ended. During his time as a solo practitioner, Mr. Campbell was repeatedly invited to Rutgers Law Camden to speak to the students on various topics and to participate as an instructor or presenter in various programs such as their Mediation Program. Four years after beginning his practice in an office that did not even have furniture, Mr. Campbell celebrated his 4th year as a solo attorney with his practice consisting of himself, two associates and three staff. During the course of his practice, Mr. Campbell dealt with many issues in the Superior Court of New Jersey, as well as cases before the Appellate Division. Mr. Campbell became a member of the Camden and Gloucester County Bar Associations and the Thomas Forkin Inns of Family Court. Mr. Campbell was also admitted to practice before the Supreme Court of the United States in 2008. However, as fate would have it, Mr. Campbell’s rented home caught fire two days before Christmas in 2009 and he was forced to vacate the home so it could be repaired.

Mr. Campbell, longing to return home to the Upper Ohio Valley, decided that since he had to move anyway, he might as well return home. Being barred in Pennsylvania, Mr. Campbell rented an office in Washington, PA, sight unseen. Using the month of January to wind up his affairs in New Jersey, Mr. Campbell relocated his office to Washington, PA and started over as a solos practitioner. Shortly after establishing his office in Washington, PA, Mr. Campbell was admitted to the United States Federal Court, Western District of Pennsylvania. Mr. Campbell currently practices primarily in the areas of Family, Criminal, Consumer and Municipal Law and offers a wide variety of payment options. For a tenacious, formidable attorney who honestly cares about his clients and truly wants to help them while making it affordable to them, CONTACT KEITH OWEN CAMPBELL TODAY!