Jim is a Partner at Shaheen & Gordon, a member of the firm’s management committee and the Chair of its Criminal Defense Practice Group.
A native of Concord, New Hampshire, Jim brings substantial courtroom experience to Shaheen & Gordon’s litigation team, focusing his practice in the areas of criminal defense and DWI / DUI Defense. He defends clients in a range of criminal cases throughout State courts, often taking on difficult and well publicized criminal cases on behalf of prominent community members. Through his straightforward and aggressive approach to courtroom work, he has regularly mitigated the stigmatizing impact of criminal charges through effective negotiation and, when those negotiations reach impasse, Jim tries his cases, often winning not guilty verdicts for clients in cases large and small following bench trials and jury trials. He defends major matters and minor ones, having securing positive negotiated outcomes, acquittals and/or dismissals in cases involving homicide, sexual offenses, public integrity matters, drugs, theft, pornography, impaired driving and DWI and a range of motor vehicle matters. He ended 2014 and began 2015 on a string of trial victories, earning not guilty verdicts in consecutive DWI trials and winning a well reported jury trial in an Indecent Exposure case on behalf of a former Town Manager.
Jim has been recognized for his excellence in the area of criminal defense as well as his commitment to the bar and the State of New Hampshire. In 2005, the Union Leader named him to its 40 Under 40 list – an annual collection of the State’s “young leaders” selected by the State’s only newspaper of statewide circulation. In 2010, Governor Lynch appointed him to the Judicial Selection Commission, which is responsible for interviewing, investigating and recommending candidates to the Governor to fill state court judicial vacancies. In 2013, Governor Hassan promoted him to serve as the Co-Chair of the Judicial Selection Commission, making him responsible for managing the Commission. For his excellence in the area of Criminal Defense, he was named to the 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013 and 2014 Superlawyers Rising Star List, a list that includes only 2.5% of lawyers in New Hampshire. Jim was named to the Best Lawyers in America in the areas of Criminal Defense and White Collar Criminal Defense in 2015, which is an honor earned based on peer review and recommendation.
Prior to joining the firm, Jim served for four years as an Assistant Attorney General in the Criminal Justice Bureau of the New Hampshire Attorney General’s Office. As a prosecutor, he appeared in every Superior Court in New Hampshire and routinely argued appellate cases before the New Hampshire Supreme Court. At the Attorney General’s Office, Jim was assigned to the Homicide Unit where he was one of five prosecutors responsible for the investigation and prosecution of all murder cases statewide.
In 2002, Jim was one of two prosecutors assigned to the Attorney General’s Task Force for the Investigation of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Manchester for failing to protect children from sexually abusive clergy; an investigation that culminated in a historic agreement where the Diocese admitted that there were sufficient facts to support its criminal conviction for endangering the welfare of children.
Jim began his legal career with the law firm of Testa, Hurwitz, and Thibeault in Boston, Massachusetts where he served in the litigation department and represented corporate clients in white-collar criminal matters, intellectual property disputes, and employment cases.
Recipient, Union Leader's Award of 40 New Hampshire Leaders Under the Age of 40, 2004. Adjunct Professor, Franklin Pierce Law Center. Assistant Attorney General, New Hampshire, 2000-2004. Special Prosecutor, Attorney General's Task Force for the Investigation of the Diocese of Manchester. Member, Board of Directors, Concord Family YMCA.
