Carol Lynn James

Carol Lynn James

4.6
Rating: 9.7

Licensed for 42 years

Family Lawyer at Columbia, MD
Practice Areas: Family, Mediation, Criminal Defense, Personal Injury

9256 Bendix Road, Unit 102, Columbia, MD

About Carol

Biography

Practice Areas

4

Practice Areas

Family 70%

Attorney James is a premier family law attorney that can help you with your family legal needs. She has over 30 years of experience helping people in Maryland through their family issues. Give her a call now.

70%
Mediation 20%

Ms. James, a trained mediator for over 20 years, has an excellent track record of resolving complex, high conflict cases, as well as those that offer small areas of dispute.

20%
Criminal Defense 5%

Simply being accused of a crime can change your life. The penalties of a conviction can haunt you for years after you’ve served your sentence and may affect what kinds of jobs you’re able to obtain and even where you’re allowed to live. Call now.

5%

Fees and Rates

Cost

Free Consultation

$0 first 30 minutes

Hourly Rates

$ 300-350 per hour


Payment Methods

  • Cash
  • Check
  • Credit Card

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Licenses

Licensed in Maryland for 42 years

State: Maryland

Acquired: 1983

Active

No misconduct found

Location

Law Offices of Carol L. James

9256 Bendix Road, Unit 102, Columbia, MD, 21045

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Carol Lynn James's Reviews

Avvo Review Score

4.6 /5.0

10 Client Reviews

5 star (9)
4 star (0)
3 star (0)
2 star (0)
1 star (1)

Posted by Barbara | December 17, 2023 | Hired Attorney

This review is from a person who hired this attorney.

Family Law Matter: Amicable Divorce

Carol was the first lawyer I ever hired. She was truly interested in my case and compassionate. Making the decision to divorce someone you still care about is hard enough, and not knowing what to expect compounds the situation. When I would get tearful, Carol was very support and inquired as to w...hy I was emotional and would talk with me about why I wanted the divorce in the first place which helped me stay focused and keep my wits about me. She made the process of my divorce easy. I was glad to have her by my side. Thank you, Carol! Barb

Posted by Babay | September 18, 2023 | Hired Attorney

This review is from a person who hired this attorney.

Fantastic Lawyer

Mrs.James was an amazing attorney and I consider her a friend. She made sure to explain everything to me clearly from the beginning and guided me through the most difficult divorce. Knowing my financial difficulties she was understanding with the fees and patient with me. She helped me fight for what... I deserved as well as what was best for my 2 young kids. She was always so attentive to my case and responded to my emails and calls very quickly. She’s professional, caring and understanding. I was very pleased with her services and would refer her to anyone that needs a good, respectful lawyer that cares about her clients.

Posted by Chioma O | September 18, 2023 | Hired Attorney

This review is from a person who hired this attorney.

A scammer and won’t work

She is money hungry and hopeless. She would flood you with emails, text messages and phone calls asking same information you already gave her . Referring her client as “that my client on the right/ left said that I ..”” Such persons is not for you .

Posted by Rhett | January 27, 2023 | Hired Attorney

This review is from a person who hired this attorney.

Top tier service

Outstanding service which goes above and beyond what is expected. I highly recommend her if you need any Family/Mediation/Personal injury assistance. Her services are not only reserved to the above listed topics, one of the services that she provided me was having my last name changed which she coord...inated all the required administrative action perfectly.

Posted by Brian | August 20, 2021 | Hired Attorney

This review is from a person who hired this attorney.

She’s Great

Ms. James was both professional and personable in her efforts and successfully mediated my divorce and a contempt charge. She took cases that most certainly would have gone to trial and was able to have both cases not see a court room. I believe she was fair to both sides and I didn’t experience any ...partiality the other reviewer referenced. I didn’t get everything to go my way but I didn’t expect to. She did exactly what she should have.

See All Client Reviews

Carol Lynn James's Lawyer Endorsements

Endorse Carol
Tracey Levin Perrick headshot
Tracey Perrick

Family lawyer | Oct 20

Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community

"I have used Carol for family law mediation and she is excellent. She is family-focused and always works hard to assist the parties in reaching a resolution. Carol is a well-known and respected member of the legal community and an experienced family law attorney. I endorse this attorney."

Michael Mastracci headshot
Michael Mastracci

Mediation lawyer | Oct 12

Relationship: Worked together on matter

"Carol James is an excellent mediator. I recently participated in a mediation with both parties and both counsel present. Ms. James has a certain disposition that makes participants feel at ease during difficult times associated with divorce and child custody issues. In addition to traditional attorney and mediator skill sets, Carol has fantastic listening skills coupled with great empathy and a superior ability to help the parties feel as if they are working things out and coming up with collaborative ideas and solutions all on their own. Carol explains things in down to earth and real life terms and in skilled conversations she gently and subtly empowers parties take court off the table; and that is when the magic happens. In the most recent contested case described above all issues were settled within (4) four hours. It is no wonder why Carl James is one of the most sought after mediators on the Court’s Approved Mediator list! How many stars am I allowed to award?"

View All Endorsements

Experience

Rating:  9.7 (Superb)

Honors

2025

Super Lawyer, Super Lawyers

2023

Super Lawyer, Super Lawyers

2022

Super Lawyer, Super Lawyers

2021

Super Lawyer, Super Lawyers

2020

Super Lawyer, Super Lawyers

2019

Super Lawyer, SuperLawyers

Work Experience

1987 - Present

Owner, Law Office of Carol L James

1984 - 1987

Prosecuting Attorney, Office of the State's Attorney for Howard County

Associations

1987 - Present

Federal Bar

Member

1984 - Present

Howard County Bar Association

Member

U.S. Supreme Court

Member

1991 - 1994

Howard County Women's Bar Association

President

1990 - 2015

Maryland State Bar Association

Member

Education

1983

University of Baltimore School of Law

Juris Doctorate

1979

Western Maryland College

BA - Bachelor of Arts

Speaking Engagements

2004

Women's Bar Association Annual Meeting

Family Law/Paternity Matters

Languages

English

Italian

Activity

Avvo Rating

Our Rating is calculated using information the lawyer has included on their profile in addition to the information we collect from state bar associations and other organizations that license legal professionals. Attorneys who claim their profiles and provide Avvo with more information tend to have a higher rating than those who do not.

What determines Avvo Rating?
  • Experience & background Years licensed, work experience, education
  • Legal community recognition Peer endorsements, associations, awards
  • Legal thought leadership Publications, speaking engagements
  • Discipline Disciplinary information may not be comprehensive, or updated. We recommend that you always check a lawyer's disciplinary status with their respective state bar association before hiring them.
Avvo Rating Levels
10.0 - 9.0 Superb8.9 - 8.0 Excellent7.9 - 7.0 Very Good6.9 - 6.0 Good5.9 - 5.0 Average4.9 - 4.0 Concern3.9 - 3.0 Caution2.9 - 2.0 Strong Caution1.9 - 1.0 Extreme Caution