Who Is Teresa Giudice’s Attorney James Leonard?

A familiar face appeared in Season 14, Episode 12 of The Real Housewives of New Jersey on July 28: Teresa Giudice’s longtime attorney, James Leonard.

The lawyer made his entrance during a meeting organized by Teresa to clarify her deep-rooted issues with Margaret Josephs.

“Listen, I love this family,” James openly stated before elaborating on his role in the gathering. Present at the meeting were Jennifer Aydin, Dolores Catania, Danielle Cabral, and Jackie Goldschneider, as well as Teresa’s daughter, Gia Giudice. “And [I’ll do] anything I can to continue to help and maybe make others understand what you’ve all been going through.”

“I think we just present facts, information, and just bring some clarity to the situation,” James added.

James informed Teresa’s RHONJ castmates about how anxious she had been feeling in recent months due to the ongoing drama involving Luis “Louie” Ruelas. He even drew a comparison to the time before Teresa went to prison.

“I was involved with her in the weeks and months before she went to prison, and I can say that walking her into prison at 3 o’clock in the morning, she was less stressed than she has been for the last several months,” he noted.

James Leonard first showed up on RHONJ after Teresa and her ex-husband, Joe Giudice, pled guilty to bank, mail, wire, and bankruptcy fraud in 2014.

He was there for the emotional moment when Teresa returned home from prison and reunited with Joe and her daughters. Reflecting on the memory in a 2021 Instagram post, Leonard wrote, “I want to tell you something about this scene. Obviously, I drove her home so I was there. I purposely stayed behind in the garage because I didn’t want to ruin that moment; that was for the family. A few months later, one of the producers and I went to dinner and she showed me the cut… if you listen, when she and I are walking past the dog’s cage, her mic picked up her heart beating out of her chest. That is absolutely the most authentic scene in the history of reality television.”

“100 percent REAL emotion. Period,” James added. “Makes me cry every time I see it because I know how real that was for all of them.”

Today, James remains not only Teresa’s lawyer but also a close friend. This past June, both Teresa and Gia took to their Instagram Stories to wish James a happy birthday. The RHONJ mom wrote, “Happy 50th birthday [James]. Wishing you [all] the best.”

Gia shared a photo of her own, telling the attorney, “Happy birthday [James]. Thank you for everything you do!! Love you always xoxo.”

Watch The Real Housewives of New Jersey Sundays at 8/7c on Bravo and stream next day on Peacock.