About James L.
James L. Riotto earned his law degree from Albany Law School after completing undergraduate studies at the State University of New York College at Cortland. His academic path put him on a practical track. He paired classroom learning with years of public safety work before entering private practice.
Riotto's career began in corrections in 1997. He worked as a correctional officer for both the Federal Bureau of Prisons and the New York State Department of Corrections. The following year he moved into campus law enforcement, serving as a police officer for the State University of New York University Police in 1998. He later joined the New York State Police as a trooper in 2000. Those roles gave him daily exposure to criminal procedures, evidence handling and courtroom testimony. They also shaped how he approaches client matters as an attorney.
After law school Riotto entered the bar. He has been a member of the New York State Bar since 2011 and holds membership in the Monroe County Bar Association. He is admitted to practice in New York and in several federal forums: the United States District Courts for the Western and Northern Districts of New York, and the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. His courtroom experience spans trial-level matters and appeals at the federal circuit level.
Certifications round out Riotto's public safety background. He is a certified instructor for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and also a New York State Certified Instructor through the New York State Police. Those credentials reflect training responsibilities he carried alongside uniformed duties and inform his work when cases involve traffic incidents, accident reconstruction or procedural questions tied to enforcement actions.
Riotto operates as the principal attorney at the Law Office of James L. Riotto. He handles matters that draw on both his law enforcement history and his legal training. Clients see an attorney who speaks comfortably about police procedure, criminal charges and administrative issues rooted in corrections and public safety. He has represented individuals in state and federal matters and has appeared before courts in the Second Circuit and the federal districts covering Western and Northern New York.
He maintains an active law practice, remains a current member of the New York State Bar and participates in the local bar association. His practice centers on criminal defense, traffic and administrative hearings, and federal and state litigation that intersect with his prior enforcement roles.
