Beginning as a Big Firm litigation associate during the take-over wars of the mid to late 1980s, Jim excelled in a high pressure team environment in which no stone was left unturned. As a senior associate at a mid-size IP and commercial law firm, he coordinated the work of two dozen lawyers from three firms in defending a Japanese camera maker against nine-figure IP claims and presented, during a lengthy federal court jury trial, the company's successful defense of a trade secrets claim.

Jim moved with his litigation colleagues to Paul Hastings in 1992. During 12 years as a partner there, he obtained an eight-figure settlement for a New York commercial landlord alleging breach of lease claims against an international bank; handled a bevy of IP disputes involving entertainment companies and manufacturers; persuaded an international arbitration panel to issue an expansive injunction against an iconic fashion design house; and preserved, via a settlement on the eve of trial, the franchise rights of a leading Thai fast food operator.

After forming his first litigation boutique firm in 2004, Jim won a California state court bench trial, and then a directed verdict in a Nebraska state court jury trial, worth $100 million dollars, each, defeating a Berkshire Hathaway affiliate and majority owner of a Philippine hydro-electric power plant and irrigation facility. He also obtained a $20 million settlement for his client in a pre-recession mortgage-backed securities dispute litigated in a New York federal court.

After he co-founded Kennedy Berg LLP in May 2011, Jim won a post-hearing international arbitration award denying delay damages claims in connection with the construction of a defense facility in Germany and a post-hearing domestic arbitration award arising from HVAC design and installation defects in a five-story Manhattan townhouse. He teamed with his partner in obtaining a judgment, after a Bench trial, piercing the corporate veil of several corporations and used interlocutory appeals to substantially curtail the scope of an upcoming jury trial over a stock redemption program in a closely held, family-owned company.

Pro Bono

Jim represents and is a former executive Board member of Gina Gibney Dance, Inc., a not-for-profit company that provides space for dance, curates dance performances and supports survivors of domestic violence.

https://gibneydance.org

Educational

Jim lectures twice annually on intellectual property law at Columbia University’s Master of Science and Technology program.