James C. Knox

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 criminal defense lawyers in Upstate New York.

James is dedicated to the defense of those wrongly accused or harmed by the actions of the government. 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 has focused his whole career on representing the wrongly accused, and he measures his success in lives and livelihoods saved.

James has successfully defended hundreds of clients in federal, state, and appellate courts.  Over the past decade, James has developed a unique, client-first approach to defense.  While some attorneys seek to do the least possible, James believes clients get the best results when no avenue of defense is left unexplored.  James has developed a team of investigators and experts, along with the attorneys, paralegals, and support staff of the firm.  Together, James and his team investigate, negotiate and fully litigate every case, to achieve the best results possible for the client.

Criminal trials are rare.  But James believes that every case should be treated as though it could go to trial.  By investigating and litigating every case as though the trial is likely, instead of just a possibility, James ensures that every accusation is challenged, and every possible weakness is explored.  If a case must go to trial, James and his team stand ready and able, with an established track record of successful verdicts and judgments.

This flood-the-zone approach has resulted in significant victories for clients.  Situations that seem the most hopeless can end up having the best outcome.  This happens because 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 available defense.  Expertise, belief in the possible, and dedication: James brings these to every client’s case.

James works tirelessly to represent his clients with every resource available to him, in order to deliver the very best legal experience.

Experience

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:

• 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 lawsuit on behalf of the client that subsequently resulted in a six-figure settlement.
• 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 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 client’s good name.
• Successfully avoided 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 advantageous plea bargain.
• Successfully demonstrated misconduct of prosecutors, resulting in 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.
• Secured reduction of arson in the first degree charge to a sealed youthful offender adjudication.
• Secured exoneration of man charged for giving obscene gesture to police, and secured $50,000 settlement as a result of him being pepper-sprayed by police during arrest.
• Successfully achieved six-figure settlement on behalf of college student assaulted by police.
• Brought suit in federal court on behalf of unarmed man shot in the back and paralyzed by police.
• Filed federal lawsuits on behalf of two men brutally assaulted by police during unlawful, unwarranted arrests, resulting in substantial settlements.

Awards & Recognition

• Super Lawyer: 2020.
• Super Lawyers “Rising Star” from 2013 through 2019.
• AVVO rating of 10.0 (highest possible).
• The Best Lawyers in America^®, 2025
  • Criminal Defense: General Practice
  • Criminal Defense: White-Collar

Professional Affiliations

• 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

Bar Admissions

• 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

Education

• Juris Doctor, magna cum laude, Lewis & Clark Law School
• Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy, cum laude, College of Idaho

Practice Areas

• Federal & State Criminal Defense
• White-Collar Investigations & Defense
• Professional Licensing Defense
• Student Defense
• Civil Rights Plaintiff’s Litigation
• Appeals