About Mr. James J.
Mr. James J. Laraia took a direct route into the law. He earned a Bachelor of Arts from Benedictine University in 1997 and a J.D. from Northern Illinois University College of Law in 2001. Those early academic years established the foundation for a career split between public service and private practice.
While still finding his footing, Laraia spent time as a law clerk in the DuPage County State's Attorney's Office in 2000. He worked on preliminary matters and learned courtroom procedure from inside the local prosecutor’s office. The next year he served as campaign office manager for Citizens for Joe Birkett during Birkett’s campaign for Illinois Attorney General. That campaign role offered a different kind of legal education — one rooted in public engagement and the mechanics of electoral work.
Laraia returned to DuPage County government in 2002 as an assistant state's lawyer in the Criminal Prosecutor, Traffic and Misdemeanor Division. He handled arraignments, motions and other early-stage criminal matters. The work kept him in court and helped refine his ability to manage cases from intake through disposition.
In 2003 he began practicing in the private sector with Laraia & Laraia, P.C. He became a named partner there in 2009. The firm evolved over the years and the office now operates as Laraia & Whitty, where he has continued in a leadership role. He also sits on the trial bar for the Northern District of Illinois, which allows him to try federal cases when they arise.
Outside the office he has been active in local and regional bar groups. He has held multiple leadership positions in the DuPage County Bar Association, including president, 2nd vice president and assistant treasurer. He has chaired the association's Entertainment Committee and served in other committee roles. He is a past president and comptroller of the DuPage County Justinian Society of Lawyers and a founding member and past vice-president of the Northern Illinois University College of Law Justinian Society. He is a member of the Illinois State Bar Association Assembly, the Kane County Bar Association and the DuPage County Inns of Court, where he has served as chair. He also has served on the DuPage County Judiciary Committee.
Those roles reflect sustained involvement in the legal community at the county and state level. He brings procedural experience from his years as a prosecutor and practical casework from private practice. He currently practices at Laraia & Whitty Lawyers at Law, handling matters in Illinois and cases before the trial bar of the Northern District of Illinois.
