About James
James Sigel built an unusual academic résumé before he ever argued a case. He earned an A.B. from Harvard in 1963, completed a Ph.D. at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1968 and returned to Harvard for his J.D., which he received in 1977. The sequence of degrees gives his legal practice a technical and historical perspective that shows up in how he approaches complex briefs and appellate strategy.
He moved into federal and state appellate work early in his career. Between 2011 and 2014 he served as a law clerk at four appellate benches. In 2011 he clerked for Judge Stephen Reinhardt on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. The next year he worked for Justice Goodwin Liu at the Supreme Court of California. In 2013 he clerked for Judge David Tatel on the D.C. Circuit. He capped that set of clerkships with service to Justice Sonia Sotomayor at the U.S. Supreme Court in 2014. Those years inside appellate chambers shaped his view of judicial decision-making and appellate procedure.
After his clerkship appointments, Sigel entered private practice and became a partner at Morrison & Foerster. He is admitted to the California bar; his membership there dates from 2013 and remains current. At the firm he has handled matters that require close attention to appellate standards, briefing discipline and oral argument preparation. Colleagues describe him as methodical in drafting and careful in anticipating the questions judges will ask.
Sigel’s academic training informs how he frames legal issues. The Ph.D. background gives him comfort with technical subject matter. That background can be useful on appeals that turn on complex factual records or specialized regulatory schemes. He tends to favor clear, tightly reasoned briefs and a pragmatic view of relief that courts can fashion without overstepping their institutional role.
He splits his time between court work and managing teams inside the firm. His practice is centered in California, where he represents clients in appellate matters and related litigation. He is currently a partner at Morrison & Foerster and concentrates on appellate litigation and associated legal issues.
