James is known as a bulldog when representing his clients and lends a nuanced, strategic, and transparent approach to that representation. James works tirelessly for his clients on matters ranging from small individual claims to billion-dollar lawsuits. His intelligence, dedication and pull-up-your sleeves approach to hard work has made him a go-to lawyer for colleagues and clients alike.
James has over 15 years of experience representing both plaintiffs and defendants in high-stakes litigation, including in the financial services, insurance, and bankruptcy sectors. He regularly represents policyholders in claims against their insurance companies and investors in recouping investment losses, including against investment advisers and broker-dealers and in the crypto space.
James’s experience spans all phases of litigation in both federal and state court, as well as in arbitration.
Prior to K&S, James was a partner at Davis + Gilbert LLP and Stroock & Stroock & Lavan LLP in New York.
James is committed to tapping into his expertise in representing pro bono clients. His most recent pro bono activities include matters ranging from improper foreclosure actions brought by banks to bad faith lawsuits brought against insurance companies.
Experience
Some of James’ representative engagements include the following:
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Lead counsel for investors in a class action against a major crypto-asset exchange and its owners and operators concerning novel issues of securities laws.
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Obtained numerous favorable settlements for investors in claims against major crypto-asset exchange and mobile phone service providers arising out of unauthorized access to user accounts.
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Investors in prosecuting breach of fiduciary duty claims (in federal court and in FINRA) against investment advisers and broker-dealers concerning millions of dollars in investment losses.
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Investors in whistleblower claims filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission concerning violations of securities laws by investment advisers and broker-dealers.
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Privately held and public companies in recovery of insurance proceeds in connection with various types of insurance policies, including professional liability, directors and officers liability, employment practices liability and cybersecurity.
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Software company in prosecuting copyright and trade secret claims in California federal court concerning a competing product.
- Obtained $26 million judgment plus attorney’s fees in ERISA litigation.
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Investors in convertible notes in connection with a start-up taxi business in South America and obtained a $3 million arbitration award.
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Policyholders against insurance brokers for malpractice and breaches of fiduciary duties.
- Co-founder of a major tech company in prosecuting fraud and fraudulent transfer claims against his former partners.
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Global financial institutions in litigation commenced by the Madoff trustee and Madoff feeder funds seeking recovery of alleged cross-border fraudulent transfers under the Bankruptcy Code and state law.
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Sponsor in residential mortgage-backed securities (RMBS) transactions against fraud and negligent misrepresentation claims arising from statements made in offering materials and putback claims concerning alleged breaches of representations and warranties.
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Directors and officers in various lawsuits concerning common law fraud and breach of fiduciary duty claims commenced in state court and bankruptcy court.
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A broker-dealer in litigation concerning complex issues of jurisdiction, sovereign immunity and cross-border discovery.
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Financial institution in prosecuting and defending claims in connection with commercial mortgage backed securities transactions.
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Financial institution in defending claims brought by individuals under state and federal consumer protections laws.
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Shareholders in fraudulent transfer litigation in the SDNY arising out of the 2007 leveraged buyout of the Tribune Company
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ERISA Plan beneficiary against administrators for violations of ERISA and breach of contract
Education
- J.D., Cornell Law School 2007
- B.A., Binghamton University, 2003, major in Philosophy, Politics & Law; minor in History
Admitted to Practice
- New York
- New Jersey
- U.S. District Courts, Southern and Eastern District of New York, District of New Jersey and District of Connecticut
- U.S. Court of Appeals, Second Circuit
Awards
- James was named a Super Lawyer in 2023 and 2022 and a Rising Star (for attorneys under 40) from 2015 to 2021 by New York Metro Super Lawyers.
