About James V.
James V. Anthenelli built a legal career that stretches back to the mid-1970s. He earned a B.S. in economics from the University of Maryland, College Park in 1972 and a J.D. from the University of Baltimore School of Law in 1976. Those credentials set the stage for steady work in prosecution, private practice and service on state commissions.
He began his professional life as an Assistant State's Lawyer in Wicomico County in 1977. A year later he moved into private practice as an associate at Hearne & Bailey. By 1980 he was a partner at Robins, Johnson & Anthenelli, and in 1986 he joined Anthenelli & Otway as a partner. He started his own office in 2002 and in 2014 was a founding partner of Anthenelli, Phoebus & Hickman, LLC.
Throughout his career, Anthenelli has maintained admission to several courts. He is admitted in Maryland and to the Court of Appeals of Maryland. He also holds admission to the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit and the U.S. Supreme Court. Those credentials have supported both trial work and appellate practice.
His portfolio includes long-standing involvement in bar governance and criminal justice policy. He served on the Lawyer Grievance Commission of Maryland, sitting on an inquiry panel from 1981 through 2000. He later returned to the commission, serving from 1991 to 1993 and again from 2000 to 2002, and he chaired the Review Board in 2002. In 2011 he was appointed by the governor to the Maryland Commission on Criminal Sentencing Policy. The following year he received a gubernatorial appointment to the Board of Trustees of the Office of the Public Defender.
Anthenelli is active in professional associations tied to criminal defense and the bar. He is a member of the Wicomico County, Maryland State and American Bar Associations, the Maryland Criminal Defense Lawyers Association, and the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers. He is also a Fellow of the Maryland Bar Foundation. He currently serves as chair of the Trial Courts Judicial Nominating Commission for Commission District One, another gubernatorial appointment.
Colleagues describe him as experienced in both trial courts and appellate settings. Over four decades he has moved between public service and private practice, carrying roles that include prosecutor, partner, solo practitioner and founding partner. He maintains an office at Anthenelli, Phoebus & Hickman, LLC. He currently concentrates his practice on criminal defense and related appellate matters.
