Before joining the firm in 1996, Jim was the Chairperson of the Business Department of Barnes & Thornburg where he had been a partner since January 1, 1976. Jim is co-chair of Taft's Business and Finance Practice and primarily practices in the areas of securities law, mergers and acquisitions and corporate governance. Before joining the predecessor of Barnes & Thornburg in 1973, Jim had been law clerk to then Associate Justice William H. Rehnquist, October Term 1972, and before that to Judge John S. Hastings, then Senior Circuit Judge, United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit, 1970-71. Between his clerkships, he was an associate with Cahill, Gordon & Reindel in New York City.

Jim was one of the architects of the Indiana Business Corporation Law and successfully defended its Control Shares Acquisition Chapter before the United States Supreme Court in CTS Corporation v. Dynamics Corporation of America. He has been recognized in the top tier of leading corporate/M&A lawyers in Indiana in Chambers USA: America's Leading Lawyers for Business since it began its U.S. publication. The Best Lawyers of America, the oldest and most respected peer-review publication in the legal profession, has named Jim as the "Indianapolis Corporate Governance Law Lawyer of the Year" for 2012. He has been listed in The Best Lawyers in America for thirty years.

Professional Affiliations / Recognitions:

AV Peer Review Rating (LexisNexis/Martindale-Hubbell) (Awarded), American Bar Association (Member), Best Lawyers in America (25 years) (Honoree), Chambers USA: America's Leading Lawyers for Business (Member), Historical Society of the Southern District of Indiana (President), Indiana State Bar Association (Member), Indiana Super Lawyers (Member), Indianapolis Bar Association (Member), Seventh Circuit Bar Association (Past President)

Community Involvement:

Indiana Repertory Theatre (Member, The Fabulous Torts), Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra (Member), International Violin Competition of Indianapolis (Member), St. Paul's Episcopal Church (Member), Young Audiences of Indiana (Member), Young Audiences, Inc. (Member)