James S. Azadian

Jimmy’s regulatory practice spans the full spectrum of federal agency rule making, including regulations and Federal Advisory Committee resolutions, such as those promulgated under the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the U.S. Coast Guard/Department of Homeland Security. He also specializes in private company compliance with the 8(a) Business Development Program, as administered through the U.S. Small Business Administration. Additionally, Jimmy has substantial experience in complex internal corporate investigations, high-profile congressional and U.S. Department of Justice investigations, and strategic media campaigns.

Jimmy completed judicial clerkships with Ninth Circuit Judge Consuelo Maria Callahan and District Judge Ricardo Manuel Urbina of the United States District Court for the District of Columbia. He serves as an adjunct professor, having taught courses in Appellate Advocacy at Pepperdine Caruso School of Law, Law and Economics at UCLA, the Supreme Court Practicum at Northwestern Pritzker School of Law, and Legal Ethics at USC. Jimmy is a member of the Advisory Board for the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, as appointed by Ninth Circuit Chief Judges Sidney Runyan Thomas and Mary H. Murguia. He also serves as a court-appointed mentor to civil practitioners through the Ninth Circuit Mentorship Program. Jimmy serves on Law360’s Appellate Editorial Advisory Board, is a member of the ABA’s seven-member Standing Committee on Amicus Curiae Briefs, chairs the ABA's Business and Corporate Appellate Litigation Subcommittee, and is the Editor-in-Chief of the ABA's Appellate Practice Committee. He served as the court-appointed Chair of the Ninth Circuit Appellate Lawyer Representatives, a group of approximately 20 appellate attorneys chosen as representing the very best in the field of appellate advocacy. Jimmy is the former Chair of the Orange County Bar Association’s Appellate Law Section. In addition, he served two terms as a court-appointed member of the Ninth Circuit’s Advisory Committee on Rules of Practice and Internal Operating Procedures. The Ninth Circuit appointed Jimmy to serve on its Law Clerk Resource Group, a subsection of the Workplace Environment Committee, created in 2017 by Chief Judge Thomas to provide additional resources to help law clerks navigate their clerkship experience. Jimmy serves on Pepperdine Caruso School of Law’s Board of Visitors and on the Boards of Directors for the Boys and Girls Club of Laguna Beach and Anchored In Relief Christian Ministries.

Jimmy has received numerous litigation accolades. He is a recipient of the Ninth Circuit’s Distinguished Service and Leadership Award. Jimmy was named a California Leading Lawyer in Appellate Litigation by Chambers USA (2024). The Daily Journal named him to its list of Top-100 Lawyers in California (2024), and earlier as a “Top-40 Under 40 Lawyer (2017). Jimmy was also named in the Los Angeles Business Journal’s “Top 100 Lawyers” list (2024). The Daily Journal and Los Angeles Business Journal awards recognize his exceptional legal skill and the industry-influencing appellate victories won by him and his team in areas as diverse as First Amendment law, class actions, intellectual property, product liability, and commercial law. The American Lawyer named Jimmy to its inaugural list of “West Trailblazers” (2021). Additionally, the Los Angeles Business Journal recognized Jimmy as a “Top Litigator Leader of Influence” (2020) and also included him in its “Thriving in Their 40’s” feature listing (2020). The Daily Journal awarded Jimmy with its “2019 Top Appellate Reversals” for his petition and oral argument securing the Ninth Circuit en banc court’s June 2019 reversal of a three-judge panel’s decision in a major appeal that clarifies the rules for settling nationwide class actions. He has also been recognized by SuperLawyers in the field of Appellate Law each year since 2010. Jimmy was also recognized as one of Pepperdine University's inaugural 40 Under 40 Honorees. Additionally, he was elected to the American Registry as one of North America’s Top Attorneys, in recognition for achieving consistently successful outcomes on appeal, and he was awarded the Chief Justice John Marshall Medal by the Supreme Court Historical Society for his excellence in appellate advocacy and his commitment to pro bono representation and the advancement of civic learning among youth. Jimmy is also nationally recognized as one of The Best Lawyers in America®.