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Peter W. James

Peter W. James combines a business litigation practice, with an emphasis on business torts, with the representation of school districts in the defense of desegregation, equal protection and other constitutional claims.

Mr. James, in the business litigation portion of his practice, has tried cases asserting violations of federal and California and Alaska state antitrust and unfair competition laws, breach of a director's fiduciary duty, breach of contract, breach of lease, theft of a book idea, and insurance bad faith, among others. His practice has included trademark infringement cases, cases asserting wrongful appropriation of a celebrity's persona, plus periodic copyright cases and an occasional patent case.

Mr. James has litigated constitutional law cases involving school districts since 1979, in cases involving desegregating and seeking to implement compensatory education programs, and to compel reallocation of funds among the district's schools. These cases have had an extended history in the state and federal appellate courts, including the United States Supreme Court and an en banc hearing in the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.

Mr. James is a former Chair of the firm’s Litigation Group and former Managing Partner of the California offices.

Mr. James is a member of the American, California and Los Angeles County Bar Associations. He is a past Chair of the Greater Los Angeles Zoo Association and a past President of the Southern California Golf Association. Mr. James has continuously been named a Southern California “Super Lawyer” by Law & Politics and the publishers of Los Angeles Magazine since the program’s inception in 2004.