About James

Biography

Recognized as a Top Lawyer by Desert Companion Magazine, in “Top Lawyers: The Best of the Best in Southern Nevada” by Vegas Inc., rated “AV Preeminent” by Martindale-Hubbell, and “Superb” by www.AVVO.com. James graduated magna cum laude from Brigham Young University’s J. Reuben Clark Law School, where he served as an articles editor for the BYU Law Review and was honored with a membership in the Order of the Coif for outstanding legal scholarship. James continues to be recognized well past law school for his professional abilities. He is AV Preeminent rated, the highest possible attorney rating in legal ability and ethical standards by Martindale-Hubbell, the profession’s oldest publisher of attorney profiles and ratings. He is also rated the highest possible rating of “Superb” by , an unbiased online attorney search and rating firm. In 2012 and 2013, he was named in “Top Lawyers: The Best of the Best in Southern Nevada” by Vegas, Inc., and in 2013 and 2014 he was named by Desert Companion magazine as one of Southern Nevada’s Top Lawyers. James began his law career in complex commercial litigation at a national law firm, Brown & Bain (now Perkins Coie) in Phoenix, Arizona. He later joined Scalley & Reading in Salt Lake City, Utah where he continued practicing law in commercial litigation and added general business to his practice areas. During that time James served as the Command Judge Advocate in the 19th Special Forces Group (Airborne) of the Army National Guard where he advised Army officers and soldiers in the areas of family law, small business law, and basic estate planning. He was promoted to the rank of Major, earned his jump wings at the US Army jump school at Ft. Benning, Georgia, and was recognized by the Army for his meritorious service. As a partner at the Henderson, Nevada law firm of Peel Brimley LLP, his practice areas included corporate and business law, contractor regulatory compliance and licensing, and contracts law. Now with more than two decades of legal experience, James is the managing attorney of Claflin Law Ltd in Las Vegas, Nevada, where he practices business and family law. James has been a member of the law faculties of Brigham Young University's J. Reuben Clark Law School, Concord University Law School, and the University of North Dakota Law School, where he also served as the Director of the Legal Research and Writing Program. As a law professor, James has enjoyed designing and teaching courses in legal research and writing, the legal process, appellate advocacy, torts, trial advocacy, and contracts. James has continued his love for teaching the law as a faculty member for attorney seminars on the subjects of business, corporate, contracts, and family law in addition to volunteering his time as a guest teacher at local schools on "Law Day." James also volunteers his time to pro bono cases and "Ask a Lawyer" clinics.

Practice Areas

Divorce and Separation 65%

Cooperative (uncontested) annulment, divorce, marital settlement agreements, asset and debt division, child custody, child visitation, child support, alimony/spousal support.

65%

Marriage and Prenuptials 30%

Pre-marital agreements (pre-nups), post-marital agreements (separation agreements), marriage settlement agreements.

30%

Family 5%

Name change, decree modification (divorce/custody/support), temporary protection orders.

Fees and Rates

We have not found any cost information for this lawyer

Contact for Details

Awards

2025 2024 2023

...

+ 9

2012

Licenses

Licensed in Nevada for 20 years

State: Nevada

Acquired: 2005

Active

No misconduct found

Licensed in Utah for 32 years

State: Utah

Acquired: 1993

Inactive

No misconduct found

Licensed in Arizona for 34 years

State: Arizona

Acquired: 1991

Administrative - Not Authorized to Practice

No misconduct found

See All Attorney Licenses See Less Attorney Licenses

Location

Claflin Law Ltd

3753 Howard Hughes Parkway, Suite 200, Las Vegas, NV, 89169

ClafLaw.com

Message Get Directions

See All Locations See Less Locations

Gallery

Online Presence

Other places you can find James online.

James W Claflin Jr's Reviews

Avvo Review Score

4.9 /5.0

127 Client Reviews

Showing 1 - 4 of 4 reviews | Business

Posted by Rod | May 01, 2012 | Business

Currently retained for construction and Nevada lien issues - knowledgeable, honest, dependable, a person you can trust.,

We have retained James’ services on many complex construction projects at YESCO. James is very knowledgeable in complex legal issues and has provided us with legal counsel, advice and services which are innovative and original, and have provided significant value to YESCO. James is diligent, dedicate...d, intelligent, forthright and personable. James constantly works to keep on top of complex legal and business trends and adapts his legal strategies to protect YESCO in our changing business environment. James embraces challenges with organized vigor, and leverages the knowledge, skills and abilities of his extensive network of legal and business contacts to provide us with the highest quality service at a very fair cost. James not only understands complex legal issues, but he also understands how to present information in a manner usable by the intended audience. James has been very effective in providing training to our management team as well as project managers and other staff. James is responsible, honest, and admired by his peers and has demonstrated a commitment to our community that is uncommon today’s society. I would recommend James to others without any reservation.

See Full Review Collapse Review

Posted by Mark | October 16, 2011 | Business

Contract Law

NRS 40.600-690 is undeniably in the top tier of the worst written construction defect laws in the country. At another juncture, before the economic crash here in Clark County, I was going to build a for sale, attached housing product for a new, then coming work force which was going to be needed for ...the booming strip. This type of attached product would have for sure been targeted to be sued by the plaintiff bar here in Nevada. So I set out to build a business model assuming on thing....." MY COMPANIES WERE GOING TO BE SUED"..... The journey of building this model ended up taking in five different law firms, all with their own diciplines, that needed to be coordinated into one master vehicle so as to it could not only provide asset protection for all involved, but have the correct technical structuring so it could be financed. One of the key players at the center of the development of this model was James in co-ordinating the working components of multiple layered LLC's, family trusts, construction contracts that entailed Developer to General Contractor, then General Contractor to Sub-contractors which then extended to the subs subs. This structure took in wrap insurance components, commercial general liability components and of course workers comp considerations. The end product of this business model was not only impressive, but was commented on by multiple parties as to it being a potential boiler plate model for an attached housing developer/contactor. The body/depth of the work at all junctures was impressive and James was one of the key players at the core of it.

See Full Review Collapse Review

Posted by Dominic | October 12, 2011 | Business

Great Attorney

James was very helpful in unwinding me out of a business that I should of never been involved with. James' knowledge of the Law helped me to avoid lawsuits and minimized my risk. James was not only a good attorney, but I consider him to be my friend. James is a very moral and ethical person. I ...would recommend him to anyone needing a solid attorney.

See Full Review Collapse Review

Posted by Michael | April 29, 2012 | Business

My experiences with James!

James has represented our company in various situations with the utmost importance on our well being. He's always been attentive to our needs and does not pursue the oversell technique inherent with many other in his industry.

See All Client Reviews

James W Claflin Jr's Lawyer Endorsements

Endorse James

Michael Waddington

Family lawyer | May 27

Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community

"I endorse James. He is a highly skilled attorney that is well respected in the legal community."

Craig Bainum

General practice lawyer | May 20

Relationship: Other

"I highly recommend James for any legal need you may have."

Howard Roitman

General practice lawyer | Dec 27

Relationship: Other

"I endorse this lawyer."

Jason Walker

Business lawyer | Aug 09

Relationship: Worked together on matter

"James is an excellent lawyer whose analytical skills and knowledge base exceeds the average lawyer. His experience is deep and impressive. Working with a former law school professor on a matter can be intimidating, but his experience teaching the law translates to his thorough understanding of many areas of the law and this benefits his clients."

Holly Armstrong

Contracts and agreements lawyer | May 07

Relationship: Other

"I have known James Claflin for 20 years, having attended and graduated from law school with him. I know him to have one of the most gifted legal minds in our class, and to be one of the most dedicated and hardworking people I have ever known. When class ranks were posted, it was not unusual for James to be near the top. At the same time, James is one of those rare individuals who can always be counted on to help anyone else who needed it, and I think he was on every class committee for every event that existed! After law school, James taught Legal Writing at our alma mater, Brigham Young University Law School. His office mate happened to be my sister, so I have some inside information about James' character and practice as a professional, rather than just as a student. Once again, James did not disappoint, but gave his all to his teaching and his students. In short, James Claflin is a man of character, legal skill, insight and integrity, whom I highly recommend"

David Colvin

Unknown lawyer | May 04

Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community

"I have known James both personally and professionally for over 20 years. He is an extremely capable attorney and, more importantly, is of the highest moral character. I am happy to endorse James to anyone who is considering using his services."

Scott Chapman

Business lawyer | May 01

Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community

"I endorse this lawyer. He is responsive, proficient, ethical, highly knowledgeable and understands the value of clarity in consulting his clients. I would personally retain him."

Travis Barrick

Litigation lawyer | Apr 26

Relationship: Co-worker

"I have know James since 2008 and worked with him for two years. He is an outstanding individual of the highest moral and ethical character. He is worthy of the utmost trust and confidence."

Gabrielle Hamm

Business lawyer | Apr 26

Relationship: Worked together on matter

"I endorse James Claflin. He is committed to achieving the best result for his clients."

Mark Dodds

Family lawyer | Oct 19

Relationship: Worked together on matter

"I have known and worked with James Claflin for several years. I have always found Jim to be fair, honest, capable and genuinely has his clients' best interests in mind in his representation of them."

David Grant

Business lawyer | Oct 12

Relationship: Worked together on matter

"Iâ€™ve known and worked with Mr. Claflin for five or six years now. James is a critical thinker, a hard worker, an honest lawyer (oxymoron?â€”not in his case), and a professional who is very concerned about achieving good outcomes for his clients. He deals fairly with his clientsâ€™ expectations and with the fees he charges them. I very much endorse this lawyer.."

See More Lawyer Endorsements See Less Lawyer Endorsements View All Endorsements

Craig Bainum

Criminal defense lawyer

Joseph Riccio

Family lawyer

Travis Barrick

Civil rights lawyer

David Colvin

Bankruptcy and debt lawyer

Scott Chapman

Business lawyer

David Grant

Estate planning lawyer