James Irwin Michaelis

A member of the California State Bar since 1966, Jim has been rated "AV Preemenint 5.0" by Martindale-Hubbell.

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A founding partner of Michaelis, Montanari, & Johnson, James Michaelis obtained a Bachelor of Art degree in political science from Stanford University in 1962. In 1965, he graduated from Boalt Hall School of Law at the University of California, Berkeley.

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From 1966 to 1968, Jim was a captain in the United States Army, stationed in West Germany. In 1968, He began the practice of law as a Deputy District Attorney in Sacramento, California, where he gained extensive jury trial experience. He has focused on the defense of aviation accidents since 1972. Jim represented Certain Underwriters of Llyod's of London against SPACEHAB arising out of the Space Shuttle Columbia accident of 2003.

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He is on the advisory panel of the Stanford on the Moon project. Jim is a member of the Defense Research Institute, the Association of Southern California Defense Counsel, and the Environmental Law Section of the State Bar of California. He is part-President of the Los Angeles chapter of the Aviation Insurance Association. He is also an Associate Member of the Organization of Flying Adjusters.

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In 1977, Jim obtained a single-engine land private-pilot certificate from the FAA. He is an avid non-technical mountain climber, who has reached the summits of Mt. Rainier, Hood, Shasta, Langley, Whitney, and Nob Hill.