Press Release

Dykema, a leading national law firm, today announced the addition of Becky S. James to its Business Litigation Practice Group as a Member in the firm’s Austin office. She’ll also maintain an active practice out of Dykema’s Los Angeles office. James joins Dykema after founding the boutique firm, James & Associates.

James focuses her practice on white collar criminal defense and civil and criminal appeals. She has experience successfully achieving reversals of her clients’ criminal convictions, acquittal at trial, dismissal of all charges before trial, probationary and other reduced sentences, release from civil contempt, full reversals in civil actions, and reversal in a published opinion in a significant civil rights case.

“Becky brings outstanding experience and success handling enforcement matters,” said Jonathan Feld, Leader of Dykema’s Government Investigations and Corporate Compliance Team. “She joins our team with outstanding credentials, which includes serving as a clerk for the Honorable Pamela Ann Rymer of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.”

Prior to moving into private practice, James was a federal prosecutor in the United States Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California for more than 12 years. During that time, James served as Chief of the Criminal Appeals Section, overseeing approximately 500 appeals per year for the Criminal Division. She also held a position as the Chief and Deputy Chief of the General Crimes Section, training and supervising new attorneys in trial practice.

James earned both a J.D. and an A.B. from Stanford University. She has experience as an adjunct professor of appellate advocacy and white collar crime and has taught trial advocacy and appellate advocacy at the Department of Justice National Advocacy Center. James also served as a Ninth Circuit Lawyer Representative, serving as co-chair of the Central District of California delegation, and as a member of the Ninth Circuit Conference Executive Committee.