Partner, Atlanta
303 Peachtree Street, NE
Suite 5300
Atlanta, GA 30308

TEL: 404.527.8406
FAX: 404.527.4198
EMAIL: jwashburn@mckennalong.com

PROFILE

James Washburn is a partner in the Atlanta office of McKenna Long & Aldridge LLP.  James has successfully represented clients ranging from Fortune 50 companies to entrepreneurial start-ups in complex commercial disputes involving asset and business valuation, intellectual property, software development, manufacturing and sales issues, health care, and other matters, from securing significant awards to defending claims through trial and on appeal. 

James has particular expertise in corporate governance matters, having represented both companies and shareholders in disputes arising from the acquisition or sale of assets and numerous other corporate governance issues.  For example, James has successfully tried cases to verdict to secure awards for clients under Georgia's dissenter's rights laws.  He has also advised clients in connection with their obligations when selling, acquiring, or dissolving corporate assets.  In addition, James was an integral part of the team advising the Examiner in bankruptcy proceedings initiated by Refco Inc. in the Southern District of New York (Case No. 05-60006). The Examiner's Final Report analyzed the liability of Refco's professional advisors in connection with the company’s collapse less than two months after its initial public offering.

James also has significant experience representing business interests in both negotiations and litigation with state and local governments on a wide range of issues, including contract disputes, bid protests, and the constitutionality of ordinances, statutes, and regulations.  In addition, he has represented a number of corporations, state and federal campaigns, and political action committees in their compliance with federal and state ethics and campaign finance laws.

Before beginning work at the firm, James clerked for The Honorable J. Dickson Phillips, Jr., United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit and for The Honorable G. Kendall Sharp, United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida.

Pro Bono

James has focused much of his recent pro bono efforts in advising the Points of Light Institute, a national organization that promotes volunteerism through affiliated organizations in most of the larger cities in the United States. James has represented Points of Light in several disputes and has provided counsel on numerous corporate and operational issues.

In a case that received national attention, James was an active member of the team that, on appeal to the Georgia Supreme Court, secured the reversal of Marcus Dixon's conviction for aggravated child molestation in connection with a sexual encounter with a classmate.  James also successfully secured the release of another Georgia prisoner after a habeas corpus hearing contesting the constitutionality of the inmate's incarceration.  Finally, James has handled numerous cases from the Atlanta Volunteer Lawyer Foundation's Saturday Lawyer Program.