James is a principal at Gray Plant Mooty, practicing in the areas of complex commercial litigation, including antitrust, securities, and products liability litigation, at both the trial and appellate court levels. He has tried scores of cases in the state and federal courts, and has prosecuted or defended numerous appeals in the Minnesota Court of Appeals and Supreme Court, as well as in the U.S. Court of Appeals.
Representative Cases
- Arabian Agric. Servs. Co. v. Chief Indus., Inc., 309 F.3d 479 (8th Cir. 2002)
- Bloemer v. Northwest Airlines, Inc., 401 F.3d 935 (8th Cir. 2005)
- Dahl v. R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co., 478 F.3d 965 (8th Cir. 2007)
- Dahl v. R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co., 724 N.W.2d 916 (Minn. Ct. App. 2007)
- Lorix v. Crompton Corp., 736 N.W.2d 619 (Minn., 2007)
- Lorix v. Crompton Corp., 720 N.W.2d 15 (Minn. Ct. App. 2006)
- Opay v. Experian Info. Solutions, Inc., 681 N.W.2d 394 (Minn. Ct. App. 2004)
- Porch v. General Motors Acceptance Corp., 642 N.W.2d 473 (Minn. Ct. App. 2002)
Publications
- “Erie v. Daubert: A New Case or Controversy?,” The Sedona Conference, vol. 2, 153, Fall 2001
Education
- Harvard Law School, J.D.
- University of Wisconsin, B.A.
Professional Activities
- Federal Bar Association, Minnesota Chapter, Board of Directors
- Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals Bar Association
- Minnesota State Bar Association
- Minnesota Supreme Court Historical Society, Board of Directors
- American College of Trial Lawyers, Fellow
- Minnesota Rule 114 Qualified Arbitrator and Mediator
Honors and Distinctions
- “Super Lawyers,” Minnesota Super Lawyers, numerous years including the present
- “The Best Lawyers in America,” Woodward/White, 1983-2010
- "Minnesota's Best Lawyers," Minnesota Monthly, 2006-present
- “Top 40 Business Litigation Attorneys”
- Chosen by some 5,000 voting lawyers as one of the best appellate lawyers in the state of Minnesota
- Named one of Minnesota’s top general commercial litigators by Chambers USA, America’s Leading Lawyers for Business, 2003-present