James is a Director with the firm's Environmental and Litigation practice groups in its Washington, DC, office. James handles a wide variety of matters arising under all of the major environmental statutes with a focus on high-stakes environmental litigation, strategic regulatory counseling, permitting, and remediation.

Prior to joining Preti Flaherty, James served for more than 13 years with the Environmental Enforcement Section of the U.S. Department of Justice. As Senior Counsel for the Department of Justice, James played a leading role in the most extensive enforcement initiative ever undertaken under the Clean Air Act. In that capacity, he was lead counsel on several of the largest and most high-profile enforcement actions in the nation during the past decade. James has managed every aspect of complex environmental litigation and led large teams through successful, multi-week trials with billions of dollars in relief at stake.

In addition to his litigation experience, James has extensive experience addressing compliance issues and negotiating settlements relating to a wide array of manufacturing industries throughout the country. His experience covers the Clean Air Act, the Clean Water Act, RCRA, CERCLA, and the Park System Resource Protection Act.  During his public service career, James earned more than a dozen awards for his case work, including numerous Department of Justice special achievement awards, as well as Bronze and Silver Medals from EPA.

James is a graduate of William and Mary Law School. Following law school, he held a judicial clerkship with the Honorable James C. Fox of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina and was an associate at a notable law firm in Washington, DC, where he was co-counsel on a number of high-profile commercial disputes arising in the beer industry.

James lives in Alexandria, Virginia, with his wife and two children.