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Jim is Counsel in Wiggin and Danaโ€™s New Haven office and is involved in all areas of the firmโ€™s Litigation Practice. His practice includes representing clients in commercial disputes, product liability claims, complex personal injury matters, CUTPA, professional malpractice issues, tax appeals, and toxic torts. He also counsels numerous clients on risk mitigation, compliance, and business concerns.

Jim currently serves on the Board of Directors of the Defense Research Institute (DRI) as the Northeast Regional Director. Jim is a member of the Connecticut Bar Association, House of Delegates and member of the CBAโ€™s Legislative and Policy Review Committee. He previously served as President of the Connecticut Defense (Civil) Lawyers Association (CDLA) and was Chairman of the CDLA Board of Directors.ย  He is a Board Liaison and Steering Committee Member for DRIโ€™s Drug and Medical Device Committee and is a Steering Committee Member and former Chair of DRIโ€™s Medical Liability and Health Law meeting. He is also a former Director and past officer of the New Haven County Bar Foundation; member of the Association of Defense Trial Attorneys; and former member of the Advisory Board of the Greater New Haven Chamber of Commerce Leadership Program.

Jim was the recipient of DRIโ€™s Lifetime Community Service Award (2018), CBAโ€™s Anthony DeMayo Pro Bono Award (2014), and Wiggin and Danaโ€™s Pro Bono Award. Jim has contributed to numerous publications and lectures including presentations at DRI, CBA, NHCBA, and CDLA events.ย  Jim helped to prepare the Connecticut Health Lawyers Associationโ€™s โ€œConnecticut Law Updateโ€, contributed to the Connecticut Practice Series treatise Unfair Trade Practices, and has regularly been a guest instructor for Quinnipiac Law Schoolโ€™s Product Liability Seminar.

Before joining Wiggin and Dana, Jim served in the U.S. Army as a trial counsel in the Office of the Staff Judge Advocate, Fourth Infantry Division (Mechanized). As a Judge Advocate, he received his parachutist badge, and was awarded the Army Achievement Medal and Meritorious Service Medal during his military service.ย  Jim received his J.D.ย cum laudeย from Case Western Reserve University School of Law, where he was a member of theย Case Western Reserve Law Review, the Deanโ€™s Tutorial Society, andย Health Matrix: The Journal of Law-Medicine. He earned his B.A. in Economics and Political Science from Dickinson College, where he was a captain of the varsity soccer team.

Education

  • U.S. Army Judge Advocate General's School (1995)
    • Commandant's List
  • Case Western Reserve University School of Law (J.D., 1994)
    • cum laude
  • Dickinson College (B.A., Economics and Political Science, 1990)

Bar Admissions

Court Admissions

Distinctions

  • Recipient of Wiggin and Dana’s Pro Bono Award for litigation work for Statewide Legal Services and New Haven Legal Assistance clients (2008)
  • Recipient of the Connecticut Bar Association’s Honorable Anthony V. DeMayo Pro Bono Award (2014)
  • Recipient of the Defense Research Institute’s Lifetime Community Service Award (2018)

Memberships and Affiliations

  • Association of Defense Trial Attorneys
  • International Association of Defense Counsel
  • Connecticut Bar Association
    • House of Delegates
    • Legislative Policy and Review Committee
    • Litigation Section
    • eDiscovery Task Force
  • Connecticut Defense Lawyers Association
    • President, 2012-2013
  • Defense Research Institute
    • Medical Liability and Health Law Committee
      • Chair, March 2011 Medical Liability and Health Law Meeting
      • Co-Chair of DRI’s Medical Liability and Health Law Subcommittee on Obstetrical Law
      • Vice Chair, February 2010 Medical Liability and Health Law Meeting
      • Steering Committee
    • Drug and Medical Device Committee
      • Steering Committee
      • Public Service Liason
  • New Haven County Bar Foundation
    • Board of Directors (2005-2012)
    • Grant Making Committee
  • Chief Justice’s Committee on the Judicial Performance Evaluation Program

Awards and Recognitions

Defense Research Institute Lifetime Community Service Award (2018)

Events

When: January 21, 2015

at 8:00am

- 10:00am

People: Erika L. Amarante , Kevin S. Budge , James O. Craven

When: March 10, 2011

People: James O. Craven

When: October 22, 2008

People: James O. Craven

When: October 26, 2009

People: James O. Craven

When: November 1, 2006

People: James O. Craven

When: June 6, 2006

People: James O. Craven

When: August 3, 2005

People: James O. Craven

When: November 4, 2004

People: James O. Craven

When: November 30, 2001

People: James O. Craven

When: February 12, 2010

People: James O. Craven

When: October 22, 2008

People: James O. Craven

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