James is an effective, experienced litigator whose diverse background enables him to provide sound strategic counsel and advocacy on a broad range of issues and matters.

James represents a wide range of clients, including Fortune 500 companies and small start-ups, governmental entities and public universities, trade associations, and individual clients. His practice includes commercial litigation, energy and natural resource regulatory matters, employment disputes, environmental enforcement actions, suspension and debarment proceedings, government investigations, and white-collar criminal prosecutions.

Prior to entering private practice, James served as a law clerk for the Honorable Chief Judge Timothy M. Burgess of U.S. District Court for the District of Alaska, and then for the Honorable Judge Ronald B. Leighton of U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington. He also served as a Legislative Assistant to U.S. Senator Mark Begich. During law school, James worked for the United States Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Washington and the Office of the Alaska Attorney General. James draws on this broad range of legislative, regulatory, executive branch, and judicial branch experience in developing sound, efficient, and effective case strategy. He serves as a trusted advisor at every step of the process and works thoughtfully with clients to identify their key objectives, assess and minimize litigation risks and exposure, and pursue favorable resolutions through settlement, mediation, arbitration, and trial.

James is committed to expanding access to justice and volunteers through Kids in Need of Defense (KIND) to provide pro bono counsel in immigration proceedings to unaccompanied minors who seek to remain in the United States lawfully. Outside of his legal practice, he is a former member of the University of Washington men’s ice hockey team, for which he continues to serve as an assistant coach.

• American Bar Association
• Alaska Bar Association
• Washington State Bar Association
• King County Bar Association

• University of Washington School of Law
  JD, 2016
  Associate Editor-in-Chief, Washington Law Review; Member, Jessup International Court Competition Team; Recipient, Jack MacDonald Merit Award for Academic and Civic Achievement, Paul Ashley Memorial Law Review Scholarship for Public Service, CALI Award for Legal Analysis, Research, and Writing, Best Brief Award for Appellate Advocacy Competition
• Brown University
  BA, magna cum laude, Political Science with Honors, 2007
  Recipient, Top Honors Thesis in American Politics; Member, Pi Sigma Alpha Political Science Honor Society

• Alaska
• Washington

• US Supreme Court
• US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
• US District Court for the Western District of Washington
• US District Court for the District of Alaska
• US District Court for the District of Columbia

• University of Washington Ice Hockey Team, Assistant Coach
• Pro Bono Volunteer Attorney, Kids in Need of Defense

• The Best Lawyers in America®, Ones to Watch, Environmental Law and Litigation–Environmental, 2022-2023

• The Year in Review: Mining and Mineral Extraction, Chapter 18, ABA Environment, Energy, and Resources Section (2019).
• “Nothing Less Than the Dignity of Man: The Eighth Amendment and State Efforts to Reinstitute Traditional Methods of Execution,” 90 Wash. L. Rev. 1313 (2015).

• Obtained summary judgment on behalf of trade association in federal litigation challenging Marine Mammal Protection Act regulations related to development of energy resources on Alaska’s North Slope. Alaska Wildlife Alliance v. U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, 2023 WL 2674760 (D. Alaska 2023).
• Obtained summary judgment on behalf of utilities in successful defense of permits and federal authorizations for the construction of a $1.2 billion interstate high voltage powerline. Stop B2H Coalition v. BLM, 552 F. Supp. 3d 1101 (D. Or. 2021).
• Representation of energy exploration client in successful appeal of Coastal Zone Management Act consistency certification before the Secretary of Commerce.
• Advised Fortune 500 energy clients on project permitting and regulatory compliance.
• Representation of major recycling client in successful reinstatement from federal Suspension and Debarment list, allowing client to resume contracting with the federal government.
• Representation of fisheries client in successful resolution of civil enforcement proceedings with National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
• Representation of fishery trade association as intervenor-defendant in lawsuit challenging the federal authorizations and supporting environmental analysis for the fishery.
• Representation of trade associations as amici curiae in litigation over Endangered Species Act listing decisions before the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.
• Pro bono representation of unaccompanied minor children in asylum petition and removal proceedings in Immigration Court, resulting in dismissal of deportation proceedings.

• Honorable Judge Ronald B. Leighton, US District Court for the Western District of Washington
• Honorable Chief Judge Timothy M. Burgess, US District Court for the District of Alaska