Walter D. James III

Walter D. James III is the founder of James PLLC.  He focuses his practice primarily on environmental counseling and environmental litigation, which includes civil enforcement and cost recovery litigation, criminal defense and toxic tort/property damage matters.  He has extensive experience in counseling clients in remediation matters nationally, both at federal and various state sites, including Voluntary Cleanup Programs.  His environmental litigation experience also covers administrative proceedings under various federal environmental statutes.  His civil litigation experience includes defending and prosecuting cost recovery litigation under both state and federal law, in both state and federal court, and defending citizen suits.  Mr. James has served as common counsel and coordinating counsel for several defense groups and potentially responsible party groups.  Mr. James has also counseled and defended clients faced with environmental criminal enforcement, from the grand jury stage through trial and appeal.  His experience includes the defense through trial and appeal of multiple defendants under a multi-count indictment alleging felony allegations under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (“RCRA”), the Clean Water Act (“CWA”), the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act (“CERCLA” or “Superfund”) and the Marine Protection Research and Sanctuaries Act (more commonly called the “Ocean Dumping Act”).  He also has an extensive practice in the defense of toxic tort matters relating to chemical exposure and related property damage claims as well as the prosecution and defense of property damage claims.  Mr. James has also successfully defended clients in product liability and catastrophic injury litigation.