Jim is a Partner and the immediate past Chair of Wiggin and Dana’s Litigation Department. According to the 2024 edition of Chambers USA: Jim “is a highly sophisticated lawyer who provides outstanding service to his clients,” and “brings massive credibility combined with extraordinary judgment” to his clients’ matters.

Jim is an experienced trial lawyer and appellate advocate who has successfully represented corporations and individuals in complex civil litigation and in investigations and prosecutions conducted by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), the U.K. Financial Conduct Authority, the Securities and Exchange Commission, FINRA, the U.S. Department of State, the Department of Commerce, State Attorneys General, and other federal and state regulators. Jim also regularly conducts internal investigations and ensures corporate compliance for companies, including those in the financial, defense, and healthcare industries.

Jim was awarded the American Inn’s of Court Professionalism Award in 2020. He is a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers and teaches trial practice at Yale Law School. When he was a prosecutor with the Department Of Justice, Jim was a frequent lecturer at its National Advocacy Center and helped design and develop the DOJ’s advanced trial advocacy course. Jim is described by clients as “a consummate professional” and “a great strategist.” Jim has considerable experience defending white collar matters, including mail and wire fraud and alleged violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, and handling complex civil litigation, including securities litigation and defending qui tam actions alleging violations of the False Claims Act. Jim has been chosen for listing in Band 1 of the litigation category of Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers. Jim has also been chosen by his peers for listing in The Best Lawyers in America in the category of White Collar Criminal Defense. Benchmark Litigation has recognized Jim as a “Litigation Star” in the categories of Appellate and White Collar/ Enforcement/Investigations. In 2015, Jim was selected by the Connecticut Law Tribune to receive its inaugural Professional Excellence Award, which honors attorneys with 30 or more years of experience and who have made substantial contributions to the practice of law.

Jim is also an accomplished appellate lawyer, having briefed and argued 49 cases in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit.

Jim serves on the Committee on Admissions and Grievances for the Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit and was appointed by the Judges of the District Court as Chair of the Federal Grievance Committee for the District of Connecticut. Jim has served on the Merit Selection Committee to consider the appointment and reappointment of the Chief Federal Public Defender for Connecticut, and has served on a committee to consider the reappointment of Connecticut’s U.S. Magistrate Judges.

Prior to joining Wiggin and Dana, Jim was a federal prosecutor for nearly two decades with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Connecticut, where he held senior positions including Counsel to the U.S. Attorney, Chief of the Criminal Division, and Chief of Appeals. In addition, he chaired Connecticut’s Corporate Fraud Working Group, the Financial Fraud Working Group, and Connecticut’s Anti-Gang and Project Safe Neighborhoods initiatives. Jim was appointed to serve on the U.S. Attorney General’s Criminal Chiefs’ Working Group and he was appointed to lead Connecticut’s Anti-Terrorism Task Force immediately after September 11, 2001.

During his tenure as a prosecutor, Jim investigated and prosecuted complex criminal cases involving a variety of federal offenses, including official and political corruption, corporate fraud and financial institution fraud, tax violations, civil rights violations, export control offenses, money laundering, Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO) violations, violent crime, and drug trafficking. Jim received numerous awards and commendations for his service as a prosecutor, including the DOJ’s Director’s Award and the District of Connecticut’s coveted “Standing Tall” award.

Before joining the DOJ, Jim was a litigation associate at the New York office of Mudge Rose Guthrie Alexander & Ferdon, where he worked on complex multi-district litigation, civil RICO, fraud, contract, and Medicaid fraud matters.

Jim is a James W. Cooper Fellow of the Connecticut Bar Association and a member of the American Bar Association, the U.S. Supreme Court Historical Society, and the Society for International Affairs. Jim is a member of the Federal Bar Council, is on the Board of Editors of the Federal Bar Council Quarterly, and is a member of the Council’s Criminal Practice Committee. Jim also serves on the regional board of the Anti-Defamation League. Jim is President of the Board of CT Star—a 501(c)(3) corporation that supports Connecticut’s Support Court initiative. Jim is admitted to practice law in New York and Connecticut and to practice before the U.S. Supreme Court, the Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, and the District Courts in Connecticut and the Eastern and Southern Districts of New York.