An intense commitment to excellence and professionalism, combined with a genuine desire to help those in need, makes James one of the most sought-after trial lawyers in Upstate New York.
James is dedicated to fighting on behalf of the wrongfully accused and those hurt by the actions of the government, law enforcement, or others. Working tirelessly to represent his clients with every resource available to him, delivering the very best legal experience, and never settling for less than the best possible outcome are the rules he lives by. James measures his success in lives restored and livelihoods saved.
James believes clients get the best results when no avenue is left unexplored, which has earned his clients significant victories. James believes in a team approach to litigation and has developed a team to investigate, negotiate and fully litigate every case, achieving the best results possible for each client.
Although trials are rare, by approaching every case as though it could go to trial, James ensures that every angle is challenged, and every weakness is explored. If a case must go to trial, James and his team are prepared and armed, with an established track record of successful verdicts and judgments.
Even when the odds seem overwhelming, James and his team have achieved victories for his clients. James and his team have the imagination to envision the solutions others miss, the dedication to work harder than their adversaries, and the courage to explore every possible angle. Expertise, belief in the possible, and dedication are the qualities James brings to every client’s case.
James has represented hundreds of clients over the course of his career. Below are examples of just some of the notable cases in which James has helped a client:
- Achieved a multi-million dollar settlement on behalf of a client paralyzed during a police encounter.
- Secured a $685,000 settlement on behalf of a client injured in his home by police
- Reduced an attempted murder charge to a non-criminal, violation charge resulting in a sealed record.
- Secured a $275,000 settlement on behalf of a client injured in his home by police.
- Won an acquittal for a client following a three-week trial on charges of felony assault on a police officer, and pursued a civil rights litigation lawsuit on behalf of the client that subsequently resulted in a six-figure settlement.
- Successfully defended a doctor’s license to practice, before the New York State Office of Professional Medical Conduct (OPMC).
- Achieved a $100,000 settlement on behalf of a client who was wrongly arrested and charged.
- Won an acquittal for a client accused of strangulation.
- Achieved complete exoneration of a client by winning a motion that garnered an eve-of-trial dismissal of an indictment charging sexual assault.
- Successfully achieved a six-figure settlement on behalf of a college student assaulted by police.
- Successfully represented numerous licensed professionals, including nurses and social workers, before the New York State Office of Professional Discipline.
- Successfully achieved a reversal on appeal for a client who had been wrongly convicted of a felony at trial, resulting in a favorable misdemeanor plea bargain.
- Won the release at trial of a man who had been civilly confined for over 10 years as a result of a plea of not guilty by reason of insanity.
- Secured dismissal of grand larceny charges against a client, resulting in sealing of all record of arrest and prosecution, preserving the client’s good name.
- Successfully avoided a 20-year federal mandatory minimum sentence in drug trafficking cases involving a death, in multiple cases.
- Successfully won suppression hearing in federal court, getting client’s statement out of case, resulting in an advantageous plea bargain.
- Successfully demonstrated misconduct of prosecutors, resulting in the disqualification of district attorney.
- Won dismissal of possession of child pornography charges in state court by demonstrating lack of evidence to link client to illicit download.
- Achieved reduction of attempted murder charge to a sealed, youthful offender adjudication saving client from having a criminal record.
- Secured reduction of arson in the first-degree charge to a sealed youthful offender adjudication.
- Secured exoneration of man charged for giving an obscene gesture to police, and secured $50,000 settlement as a result of him being pepper-sprayed by police during the arrest.
- Filed federal lawsuits on behalf of two men brutally assaulted by police during unlawful, unwarranted arrests, resulting in substantial settlements.
- Super Lawyer: 2020 to present
- Super Lawyers “Rising Star” from 2013 through 2019.
- AVVO rating of 10.0 (highest possible).
- Listed in The Best Lawyers in America®, for White Collar Criminal Defense, 2022 to present
- Juris Doctor, magna cum laude, Lewis & Clark Law School
- Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy, cum laude, College of Idaho
- State of New York
- State of Massachusetts
- United States District Court, Northern District of New York
- United States District Court, Southern District of New York
- United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit
- National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers
- Capital District Trial Lawyers Association
- Federal Bar Association
- New York State Bar Association
- Albany County Bar Association
- Saratoga County Bar Association
- Member of the Committee on Character and Fitness for the Third Department
- Federal & State Criminal Defense
- White-Collar Investigations & Defense
- Professional Licensing Defense
- Civil Rights Plaintiff’s Litigation