About Matt
Matt James came to law from a background in social science. He earned a B.A. in anthropology from the University of Chicago in 1993 and completed his J.D. at the University of Iowa in 1998. Those years set the shape of a career that moved quickly from internship work in federal prosecutor's offices to state practice and then to military service.
Early in his career he spent time as a legal intern in 2000 with the United States Attorney's Office for both the Northern and Southern Districts of Iowa. The following year he worked in the Kane County State's Lawyer's Office as an assistant state's lawyer. Those roles gave him courtroom experience on the civilian side before he joined the Air Force Judge Advocate General's Corps.
In uniform he held several formal appointments. He served as a JAG and was appointed as defense counsel for the United States Air Force. He obtained a 27(b) UCMJ certification and carried the rank of Major (S) during his service. Military work broadened his practice into courts-martial and appellate military litigation, and it shaped the mix of matters he would handle after leaving active duty.
James left active service and opened his own practice in 2013. He is the founder of James Defense. Since then he has maintained memberships in the Colorado State Bar Association, the Colorado Criminal Defense Bar Association, and the Boulder County Bar Association, all listed from 2013 to the present. He is admitted to practice in Illinois and Colorado, is authorized to appear in the Federal District Court for the District of Colorado, and is admitted before the Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces.
His caseload typically combines civilian criminal defense and military justice work. He represents clients at trial-level proceedings and on appeal in military courts. On the civilian side he handles matters that arise in state and federal venues in Colorado and in Illinois. The mix of state, federal, and military matters reflects the arc of his earlier roles in prosecutor's offices and in the Air Force JAG Corps.
Colleagues and clients describe his practice as rooted in courtroom experience rather than in office politics. He continues to operate James Defense out of his main office and manages a docket that spans courts-martial, administrative military proceedings, and civilian criminal defense matters. He currently concentrates his practice on military and criminal defense matters.
