About James
James Kessel earned a B.A. in political science from West Virginia University in 1999 and a J.D. from the University of Richmond School of Law in 2002. He moved from the classroom to courtrooms and government offices early in his career. Those formative years included internships in county and federal offices that shaped his approach to litigation.
Shortly after completing his undergraduate degree, Kessel interned at the Kanawha County Prosecuting Lawyer's Office in Charleston in 1999. The next year took him to the Office of Chief Counsel at the Internal Revenue Service. In 2001 he worked in Richmond at the Office of the Commonwealth's Lawyer. After law school he served as an associate and law clerk at Stout, Howard, Billy & Seli in 2002, gaining experience on both civil and criminal matters.
Kessel moved into trial work soon after. By 2005 he was practicing as a trial lawyer at Marks & Harrison and also listed a solo practice under the name James Mick Kessel, Lawyer and Counselor at Law. In 2013 he joined Allen, Allen, Allen, & Allen, P.C. as a trial lawyer. Over the years he has appeared in a range of courts. His admissions include the bars of West Virginia and Virginia, the U.S. Supreme Court, the West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, and multiple federal district courts including the Northern District of West Virginia, the Southern District of West Virginia, and both the Eastern and Southern Districts of Virginia.
He is active in professional organizations. Current memberships include the Virginia Trial Lawyers Association, the Southern Trial Lawyers Association, the American Association for Justice, the Virginia Bar Association, the Henrico County Bar Association, the Richmond Bar Association, the American Bar Association, and the Public Justice Foundation. He has also been affiliated with the West Virginia Association for Justice and the Kanawha County Bar Association.
Kessel practices from the Richmond office of Allen & Allen. He has built a practice around civil trial litigation, handling matters in state and federal court. He continues to represent clients in trials and appeals from his Richmond base, focusing his practice on litigation in both Virginia and West Virginia courts.
