Recognized by Best Lawyers as a top antitrust attorney “to watch,” James works across a wide range of industries—software, telecom, semiconductors, chemicals, consumer goods, building solutions, international shipping, and more. He’s successfully guided both U.S. and international companies through tough regulatory hurdles, representing clients in investigations by the DOJ, FTC, and competition authorities in Europe, China, the UK, Brazil, Japan, Korea, and beyond. 

Clients count on James to solve their biggest challenges—whether it is securing global clearances for multibillion-dollar mergers or crafting creative defense strategies for headline-making litigations under the Sherman Act, Clayton Act, and state antitrust laws. His ability to lead multijurisdictional teams and coordinate with multiple firms has delivered standout results in some of the most high-profile cases in recent years. He recently served as lead global antitrust counsel for VMware in its $69 billion acquisition by Broadcom and is currently defending Google in multiple cases brought by the Department of Justice, state attorneys general, and private plaintiffs challenging the company’s ad tech business.

Before joining Axinn, James spent seven years at a global law firm, where he helped T-Mobile win a federal trial against a coalition of state attorneys general that cleared the way for its $146 billion merger with Sprint. He also played a key role in securing global clearance for Dow Chemical’s $130 billion merger with DuPont—one of the most complex merger reviews in history, requiring approval in over 20 jurisdictions.