James I. Glasser

James I. Glasser is a Partner in the New Haven and New York offices of Wiggin and Dana and is Chair of the Litigation Department. Mr. Glasser is a seasoned advocate who has successfully represented corporations and individuals in complex civil litigation and in investigations and prosecutions conducted by the Department of Justice, the Securities and Exchange Commission, FINRA, the State Department, the Commerce Department, State Attorneys General, and other federal and state regulators. Mr. Glasser also regularly conducts internal investigations and ensures corporate compliance for companies including those in the defense, financial, and healthcare industries.

Mr. Glasser is a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers. He also teaches trial practice at Yale Law School. When he was employed by the Department of Justice, Mr. Glasser was a frequent lecturer at the Justice Department's National Advocacy Center. He helped design and develop the Justice Department's course on advanced trial advocacy. Mr. Glasser has been chosen for listing in the litigation category of Chambers USA: America's Leading Lawyers. He is described by interviewees as "a consummate professional" and "a great strategist." He is experienced in areas such as securities disputes, False Claims Act litigation and FCPA matters. (For more information about the standards for inclusion in Chambers USA, please click here.) Mr. Glasser also has the distinction of having been chosen by his peers for listing in The Best Lawyers in America in the category of White Collar Criminal Defense (for more information on the standards for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America, please click here). Benchmark Litigation, 2015 edition, has recognized Mr. Glasser as a "litigation star" in the categories of Appellate and White Collar/Enforcement/Investigations (for more information about the standards for inclusion in Benchmark Litigation, please click here). In 2015 Super Lawyers recognized Mr. Glasser as one of the top ten lawyers in Connecticut (for more information about the standards for inclusion in Super Lawyers, please click here). Notably, in 2015, Mr. Glasser was selected by the Connecticut Law Tribune to receive their inaugural Professional Excellence Award which honors attorneys with 30 or more years of experience and who have made substantial contributions to the practice of law.

Mr. Glasser is also an accomplished appellate lawyer, having briefed and argued 49 cases in the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit.

Mr. Glasser serves on the Committee on Admissions and Grievances for the Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, was appointed by the Judges of the District Court as Chair of the Federal Grievance Committee for the District of Connecticut, and has served on the Merit Selection Committee considering the appointment of the Chief Federal Public Defender for Connecticut, and on a committee considering the reappointment of Connecticut's United States Magistrate Judges.

Prior to joining Wiggin and Dana, Mr. Glasser was a federal prosecutor for 19 years with the United States Attorney's Office for the District of Connecticut where he held senior positions including: Counsel to the United States Attorney; Chief of the Criminal Division; Chief of Appeals; and Assistant In-Charge of the Fairfield County U.S. Attorney's Office. In addition, he chaired Connecticut's Corporate Fraud Working Group, the Financial Fraud Working Group and Connecticut's Anti Gang and Project Safe Neighborhoods initiatives. Mr. Glasser was appointed to serve on the United States Attorney General's Criminal Chiefs' Working Group and was appointed to lead Connecticut's Anti-Terrorism Task Force immediately after the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001.

During his tenure as a prosecutor, Mr. Glasser investigated and prosecuted complex criminal cases involving a variety of federal offenses including official and political corruption, corporate fraud and financial institution fraud, tax violations, civil rights violations, export control offenses, money laundering, RICO violations, violent crime, and drug trafficking. Mr. Glasser received numerous awards and commendations for his service as a prosecutor, including the Justice Department's prestigious Director's Award and the District of Connecticut's coveted "Standing Tall" award.

Before joining the Justice Department, Mr. Glasser was a litigation associate at the New York office of Mudge Rose Guthrie Alexander & Ferdon where he worked on complex multi-district litigation, civil RICO, fraud, contract, and Medicaid fraud matters.

As a defense lawyer, Mr. Glasser has lectured at the New York County Lawyer's Association, the Society for International Affairs, the American Internal Health Care Auditors Association, the Connecticut Hospital Association and the Connecticut Bar Association's Federal Practice Section, and many other forums. Mr. Glasser is on the Board of Editors of the Federal Bar Council Quarterly and has authored numerous articles of interest to defense counsel. Mr. Glasser serves on the Federal Bar Council's Criminal Procedure Committee.

Mr. Glasser is a member of the American Bar Association and the Federal Bar Council, is a James W. Cooper Fellow of the Connecticut Bar Association, and a member of the U.S. Supreme Court Historical Society and the Society for International Affairs. He also serves on the regional board of the Anti-Defamation League and on the Advisory Board for Connecticut's Juvenile Training School. Mr. Glasser also serves on the Board of CT Star, a 501(c)(3) corporation that supports Connecticut's Support Court initiative. Mr. Glasser is admitted to practice law in New York and Connecticut, and to practice before the United States Supreme Court, the Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, and the District Courts in Connecticut and the Eastern and Southern Districts of New York.