About James L Bates
James L Bates Jr earned his law degree from Louisiana State University - University of New Orleans in 1962. He completed his legal education during a period of change in Louisiana law schools, then moved into practice in the years that followed. The chronology that follows ties his academic credentials to a long career in criminal defense.
Bates began formal association with the Louisiana legal community in 1969, the year he joined the Louisiana State Bar Association. That same year he is recorded as practicing criminal defense at the Law Office of James Bates. He made his early mark representing clients in criminal matters at a time when procedural and substantive criminal law in Louisiana were evolving. His early work established a practice grounded in courtroom experience and client representation.
Over the decades Bates remained active in bar and professional organizations. He has served as the Louisiana State Delegate to the National College for DUI Defense since 2013, taking part in an organization that gathers defense practitioners for training and policy discussion. His long-standing membership in the state bar underscores steady professional engagement across more than five decades.
Bates’s career reflects sustained work in criminal defense rather than a switch into other areas of law. He has continued to handle criminal matters, including cases that involve impaired driving charges. Colleagues and peers have known him for a steady presence in the courtroom and in professional circles. He practiced under the name Law Office of James Bates early on and later associated with a firm structure that carries his name forward.
More recently his office affiliation is listed as Bates and McMillin, LLC, Lawyers at Law. That firm listing marks the current chapter of a long practice life. In private practice he has combined litigation work with the advisory and procedural tasks that criminal cases require. Court appearances, pretrial work, and negotiation remain constant parts of his day-to-day case handling.
After more than half a century practicing law in Louisiana, Bates brings decades of experience to criminal defense matters. He continues to accept matters at Bates and McMillin, LLC, and his current practice centers on criminal defense, including DUI-related cases.
