James Dawson
2200 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Suite 500 West
Washington, DC 20037
James Dawson is a litigator whose practice focuses on critical motions and appeals. James has been the principal author of briefs and motions in a wide range of disputes, including matters related to the energy industry, state and federal administrative law, constitutional law, civil procedure, and statutory interpretation.
Experience Highlights
Represented major energy company in state and federal proceedings concerning a Clean Water Act certification for a hydroelectric facility
(Del.) – Drafted appellate briefs in dispute concerning purported breaches of a wind-farming contract
(11th Cir.) – Briefed and argued appeal concerning federal criminal law
(5th Cir.) – Drafted appellate brief in dispute concerning federal jurisdiction and civil procedure
(9th Cir.) – Drafted appellate brief in dispute concerning a securities class action
(6th Cir.) – Drafted appellate briefs in dispute concerning judicial sanctions and breaches of commercial contracts
(S.D. III.) – Briefed and argued motion for spoliation sanctions in pro bono case concerning prison conditions
(N.D. III.); (7th Cir.) – Represented major telecommunications company in trial and appellate proceedings concerning antitrust liabilities
Represented music companies in a variety of commercial disputes against operators of music services
Credentials
- Yale Law School, J.D., 2014 (Yale Law and Policy Review, Co-Editor-in-Chief; Yale Law Journal, Notes Editor; Supreme Court Clinic; Morris Tyler Moot Court at Yale, best overall team and best individual oralist)
- Columbia University, B.A. in Political Science summa cum laude, 2011 (Phi Beta Kappa)
- Judicial clerk to Judge Alex Kozinski, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, 2015 – 2016
- Lecturer in Law and Fellow for the San Francisco Affirmative Litigation Project, Yale Law School, 2014 – 2015
- Selected to the Washington, D.C. Rising Stars list, Super Lawyers® (Thomson Reuters), 2021
- The Best Lawyers in America© (BL Rankings, LLC), “Ones to Watch,” Appellate Practice (Washington), 2022
- Texas
- District of Columbia
- U.S. Supreme Court
- U.S. Courts of Appeals for the Seventh, Eleventh, and D.C. Circuits
- U.S. District Courts for the District of Columbia and Southern District of Illinois
- Rankings & AwardsApril 22, 2021
- Deals & CasesMarch 26, 2021
- Deals & CasesOctober 27, 2020