James Clement Harkins IV

Mr. Harkins has been a member of the California State Bar and District of Columbia Bar since 1991, and has been a member of the Massachusetts Bar since 1989.  He is a member of the Orange County Bar Association, Massachusetts Bar Association, and District of Columbia Bar Association.  Mr. Harkins received his preparatory education at the University of Maryland, where he graduated magna cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts degree (B.A.) in Economics in 1985.  Mr. Harkins received his legal education at the American University, Washington College of Law, where he graduated magna cum laude with a degree of Juris Doctor (J.D.) in 1988.  Mr. Harkins= law school activities included a position as Note & Comment Editor of the American University Law Review, and he also authored an article entitled, AOf Textbooks and Tenants: Mozert v. Hawkins County Public Schools and the Free Exercise of Religion,@ which was published in the American University Law Review in 1988.  After receiving his J.D., Mr. Harkins served a one year term as a judicial law clerk for the Honorable Walter E. Hoffman, Judge, United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia.  During Mr. Harkins= tenure as a judicial law clerk, in addition to his District Court law clerk duties, he assisted in drafting opinions for the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth and Eleventh Circuits, where Judge Hoffman served by designation, in addition to serving as a Judge of the United States District Court.

 After completing his term as a judicial law clerk, Mr. Harkins commenced practicing law in Boston, Massachusetts, performing sophisticated corporate finance and transactional work with  the law firm of Bingham, Dana & Gould, which presently is a global law firm that combined with Morgan Lewis and Bockius LLP.  Mr. Harkins later moved to California and began practicing law exclusively in the community association industry in 1993.

 Mr. Harkins is a partner in the law firm of Cane, Walker & Hzrkins LLP, where he represents community associations and business park associations in litigation, corporate governance, and other corporate counsel matters, and he has served as an expert witness concerning common interest development related matters.  He is a member of the faculty for the Community Associations Institute (ACAI@) - Orange County Regional Chapter=s Education Committee, where he regularly teaches courses on corporate governance, enforcement of governing documents, Board fiduciary duties, and other legal issues concerning common interest developments.  Mr. Harkins also serves on CAI=s Programs Committee, which develops and presents monthly educational programs on common interest development issues. Mr. Harkins is a founding member of the Common Interest Development Lawyers Association and serves as an officer and member of the Board of Directors of the organization.