In the late 1970s, Bowles began his legal career as attorney for Delphian Foundation. Bowles moved to Southern California in the 1980s, where he served as general legal counsel to the Church of Scientology International for several years with Kendrick Moxon in the firm Bowles & Moxon, which served as the church's lead counsel in the legal effort that resulted in the church receiving U.S. tax-exempt status in 1993. Bowles had been a part of the law firm Bowles & Moxon, whose other partner was Kendrick Moxon. That law firm acted on behalf of the Church of Scientology. An article in The American Lawyer recounts how the firm of Bowles & Moxon was involved with the filing of 50 civil suits against the Cult Awareness Network by individual Scientologists, many of whom had asserted virtually the same "carbon copy" claims as the other lawsuits In 1994, the Cult Awareness Network opened a counter-suit against the Church of Scientology, 11 individual Scientologists and the Los Angeles law firm of Bowles and Moxon. Tim Bowles was part of the lawfirm Bowles & Hayes. His partner Steven Hayes, also a Scientologist, was involved in buying the assets of the Cult Awareness Network after bankruptcy. After leaving that firm, he has continued to personally work for Scientology entities such as Youth for Human Rights International as Executive Director, and the Citizens Commission on Human Rights as a Commissioner on the Board of Advisors as well as representing clients such as Narconon. Representing Youth for Human Rights International in Ghana in 2006, he said, "Ghana should lead the crusade for championing the tenets of United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights...through human rights education from an early age", adding that his organization had developed materials to assist in doing so. On 2005-12-19, he incorporated the firm Law Offices of Timothy Bowles, with two associates.
In 1987, Bowles wrote a letter to the St. Petersburg Times, threatening a lawsuit if they were to print a review of the new book :
It has come to our attention that are considering publication of a review of L. Ron Hubbard, Messiah or Madman? by Bent Corydon... it is quite apparent and can be proved that your motives in reviewing this book... are to attack and denigrate the Church through any vehicle you find available.... If you forward one of his lies you will find yourself in court facing not only libel and slander charges, but also charges for conspiracy to violate civil rights. If you publish anything at all on it, you may still find yourself defending charges in court in light of what we know about your intentions. We know a whole lot more about your institution and motives than you think.
The newspaper did not comply with Scientology's requests, and published not only the review, but the text of letter as well.
