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James has extensive jury and non-jury trial experience in State, Federal and Bankruptcy court, having tried over 100 cases to jury verdict or judgment.  

His practice includes real estate related litigation, complex commercial litigation, bankruptcy litigation, employment litigation, aviation litigation, franchise litigation and admiralty and maritime litigation and the defense of corporations in a wide variety of tort and product liability litigation.

Representative Experience

  • Obtained a defense verdict as Lead Trial Counsel for a NASDAQ listed Fortune 500 company in the jury trial of a case involving the breach of a finder’s fee agreement.
  • Lead Counsel to the Committee of Unsecured Creditors in a 2900+ employee WARN Act class action involving claims exceeding $36 million
  • Lead Counsel to the plan proponent in the reorganization of the largest hotel in Pittsburgh, saddled with $80 million in claims, and which included the successful six-day trial of a contested matters against the secured lender, the Blackrock hedge fund
  • Lead Trial Counsel to a publicly traded company in the defense of breach, employment control and stock option claims brought by the former CEO, CFO and President
  • General Counsel to the Court Appointed Receiver in a $200 million real estate related receivership, handling complex foreclosure litigation, bankruptcy matters, prosecuting and defending claims for fraud, lender liability, lien priority issues and first and third party insurance claims involving over 20 separate and affiliated developers
  • Lead Trial Counsel to an institutional research boutique and brokerage firm that resulted in a mediated $8 million settlement of a claim for breach of a purchase and sale agreement with a publicly traded European based technology and database services company
  • Lead Trial Counsel representing a general contractor in a $675 million construction lien priority litigation filed as an adversary in bankruptcy court
  • Lead Trial Counsel to a Developer in a breach of contract litigation with a home builder involving claims totaling $150 million
  • Lead Trial Counsel to a high net worth individual in a series of complex litigation matters that emanated from a thirty-year old family dispute involving $420 million.  The cases included breach of fiduciary duty, lender liability and fraud litigation brought in federal district court and in an adversary in bankruptcy

Professional & Community Involvement

  • The Southeastern Admiralty Law Institute
  • The Bankruptcy Bar Association of the Southern District of Florida
  • Florida Defense Lawyers Association
  • The Federal Bar Association
  • The Dade County Bar Association

Awards & Recognition

  • Board Certified as a Civil Trial Lawyer by The Florida Bar Board of Legal Specialization
  • Board Certified in Civil Trial Advocacy by the National Board of Trial Advocacy
  • Chambers & Partners USA, America’s Leading Business Lawyers, General Commercial Litigation (2011)
  • Finalist, Daily Business Review's Top Dealmaker Award for Pittsburgh Grand Hotel Deal (2012)
  • Member, The American Inns of Court, Spellman-Hoeveler Chapter. The American Inns of Court is a group of judges, lawyers and law professors with 20,000 active members throughout the United States whose mission is to foster excellence in professionalism, ethics, civility and legal skills in order to perfect the quality and efficiency of justice in the United States.
  • The South Florida Legal Guide’s Top Lawyers in South Florida (2011-2012)
  • Florida's Super Lawyer (2006, 2008-2009, 2011)
  • Florida Trend Magazine's Legal Elite (2011)
  • AV Rated by Martindale-Hubbell
  • Member, Litigation Counsel of America, an invitation-only trial lawyer honorary society
  • Recipient of the Pro Bono Service Award in recognition of continuing support and outstanding contribution to “Put Something Back,” a joint pro bono project of the Florida Eleventh Judicial Circuit and the Miami-Dade County Bar Association in the area of Family Law, May 2002 for devoting over 150 hours to the preparation and trial of a hotly contested grandparent visitation case.

Articles & Presentations

Articles

  • Cross Examination of an Expert Witness, The Federal Lawyer (May 2010)

Presentations

  • Speaker, Let's give Them Something to Tweet About, Litigation Counsel of America - Renaissance Symposium II (March 2011)
  • Speaker, Preparing Corporate Executives for Deposition, Litigation Counsel of America (May 2010)
  • Speaker, Knowing Misrepresentation and Concealment Defenses to GARA, General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA) (May 2010)
  • Speaker, Litigation Counsel of America Spring Conference 2010, Monterrey, CA (May 2010)
  • Speaker, Strategies to Reduce Product Liability Insurance and Defend Against Frivolous Lawsuits, General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA) (December 2009)
  • Speaker at the University of Florida’s Real Estate Trends and Strategies Conference, “Reorganization, Workouts and Bankruptcy: Managing The Real Estate Crisis” (2008)
  • Speaker at the National Business Institute’s seminar on Admissibility of Evidence and Expert Testimony in Florida (2002)

Prior Affiliation

  • Fowler White Burnett
  • Mase & Gassenheimer