Practice Areas

• Civil Litigation
• Business Litigation
• Administrative Law
• Professional Licensing and Regulation
• Real Estate Litigation
• Property Tax
• State and Local Tax

Honors & Awards

• The Best Lawyers in America® (Personal Injury Litigation—Plaintiffs), 2023, 2024
• Southwest Super Lawyers^®, 2024
• Southwest Super Lawyers Rising Stars^®, 2014-present
• Litigation Counsel of America: Associate Fellow
• National Trial Lawyers: Top 40 Under 40 (Arizona), 2012-2018
• America’s Top 100 High Stakes Litigators (Arizona), 2017-2019
• Top Five Attorneys (Alternative Dispute Resolution), AzBusiness, 2019-2020
• “Top Pro Bono Attorneys in Arizona,” Arizona Foundation for Legal Services and Education, 2013
• Successfully led the legal team that negotiated the first collective bargaining agreement between an Arizona county and its sheriff’s office

James Cool

Rated by Super Lawyers


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Bar & Court Admissions

• Arizona, 2010
• U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona, 2011
• U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, 2015

Education

• J.D., Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law, Arizona State University,
  • 2010: Order of the Barristers; Jenckes Closing
  • Argument Competition (Champion, 2009);
  • Oplinger Closing Argument Competition (Champion, 2008 and 2009); Berch Scholar; “Most Outstanding” Oral Advocate, Class of 2010;
  • National Trial Advocacy Scholarship, American Association of Justice; Arizona Board of Trial Advocates Scholarship
• B.A., English Education, University of Arizona, 2007

Professional Memberships

• National Trial Lawyers: Business Torts Specialty Association
• State Bar of Arizona: Young Lawyers Division
• Maricopa County Bar Association: Volunteer Lawyers Program

Reported Cases

Real Estate Litigation

• Successfully defended the seller of a western Arizona saloon in a six-figure boundary dispute with the buyer.
• Represented multiple small business owners in lease negotiations with existing and prospective commercial landlords.
• Successfully defended a widow against claims of real estate fraud and non-disclosure brought by the purchaser of her marital home.
• Prevailed at trial on behalf of a commercial landlord in a tenant dispute regarding the tenant’s improper exercise of its option to extend its lease.
• Won an arbitration proceeding on behalf of a business owner relating to a dispute over the proper appraisal of a commercial warehouse property.
• Successfully represented a partner in a real estate joint venture in a dispute over the return of the partner’s capital investment following a failed development project.
• Counseled real estate investor clients regarding prospective investment opportunities involving the purchase and development of land.
• Successfully represented a business purchaser in a lawsuit to enforce a real estate purchase option in an associated commercial lease agreement.
• Represented multiple homeowners in disputes with their HOAs regarding improper fines, fees, and assessments.
• Successfully counseled and represented homeowners in a dispute with an adjoining landowner regarding the landowner’s violation of local zoning ordinances.
• Represented multiple clients in connection with Registrar of Contractor complaints against home remodeling contractors and related actions to collect from ROC’s Residential Recovery Fund.
• Counseled and represented multiple commercial landlords in connection with efforts to evict defaulting tenants and retake possession of their property.

Commercial Litigation

• Extensive experience representing owners and investors in medical and recreational marijuana businesses in disputes relating to corporate governance.
• Successfully represented joint venture partner in litigation to vindicate his multi-million-dollar interest in marijuana dispensary licenses owned by the partnership.
• Extensive experience representing small and mid-sized business owners in a wide variety of contract disputes.
• Prevailed in jury trial defending small business owner against claims six-figure claims for trademark infringement, unjust enrichment, and cyber-squatting.
• Prevailed in jury trial defending owner of medical practice against six-figure claims for breach of contract and alter ego.
• Prevailed in two-week arbitration defending technology business owner in seven-figure dispute with former business partner.
• Extensive experience representing a wide array of small business owners in collecting unpaid invoices and past-due customer accounts.

Civil Rights / Public Interest Litigation

• Represented the Greater Phoenix Urban League in public interest lawsuit seeking to reform rules for Social Equity Ownership Program adopted by Arizona Department of Health Services regulating the award of 26 marijuana dispensary licenses to individuals from communities disproportionately impacted by the “War on Drugs.”
• Successfully represented violent crime victim in public records lawsuit and subsequent appeal to secure police records that identified individual who shot him.
• Successfully represented marijuana dispensary license applicant in public records lawsuit and subsequent appeal to secure licensing records the Arizona Department of Health Services had improperly designated “confidential.”
• Successfully represented parents in public records lawsuit against Arizona Department of Economic Security to secure records relating to operations of the Division of Developmental Disabilities.
• Represented multiple medical marijuana dispensary applicants in lawsuit against Arizona Department of Health Services challenging Department’s license allocation process.
• Played key role on legal team that challenged the constitutionality of the original medical marijuana program regulations adopted by the Arizona Department of Health Services in 2011.

Labor and Employment

• Advised several law enforcement and firefighter unions in their collective bargaining negotiations and led the team that negotiated the first collective bargaining agreement between an Arizona county and its sheriff’s office.
• Successfully represented more than a dozen employers and employees in disputes relating to the enforcement of non-compete and non-solicitation agreements.
• Provided civil representation to members of what was then Arizona’s largest public safety union in matters relating to federal employment law and public labor law.
• Drafted employment agreements and independent contractor agreements for numerous small businesses, including covenants not to compete and not to solicit.

Catastrophic Personal Injury

• Extensive experience representing dozens of individuals seriously injured in auto accidents.
• Helped to recover seven-figure settlement for cyclist severely injured by negligent school bus driver.
• Recovered seven-figures in settlements on behalf of retiree who suffered a traumatic brain injury after being assaulted by upscale nightclub patron.
• Successfully litigated wrongful death claim on behalf of family of woman who died as a result of medical negligence at local hospital.
• Litigated to six-figure settlement medical negligence claim on behalf of woman seriously injured due to the combined negligence of her dentist and prosthodontist.
• Negotiated six-figure informal settlement on behalf of victim of drug-fueled home invasion.
• Litigated to six-figure settlement on behalf of roofer who suffered third degree burns in industrial accident.
• Successfully represented several clients who were unlawfully held by psychiatric facilities beyond the time permitted by Arizona law or were justified by the medical evidence.

Administrative Law

• Represented multiple clients in seeking administrative review of decisions by the Arizona Department of Health Services.
• Represented or counseled clients in regulatory or disciplinary proceedings before the Arizona Board of Occupational Therapy Examiners, Arizona State Board of Physical Therapy, Arizona Board of Certified (Court) Reporters, State Bar of Arizona, Arizona Board of Behavioral Health Examiners, Arizona Peace Officer Standards and Training Board, and State Board of Nursing.

Articles & Presentations

• “Five marijuana bills remain after weeks of deliberations,” Arizona Mirror, March 2024
• “Diversity for Rent” (panelist), Cannabis Law Update, State Bar of Arizona Annual Convention, June 2023
• “Claims Against Government Entities: A Perspective from Both Sides,” Maricopa County Bar Association, September 2021
• “Moral Philosophy as a Framework for Political Persuasion,” National Court Reporters Association, Legislative Boot Camp, March 2018
• “The Power of Punctuation,” Arizona Court Reporters Association Annual Convention, September 2015
• “When FMLA Leaves Become an ADA Reasonable Accommodation,” 2011 Arizona Conference of Police and Sheriffs Annual Convention
• “Doing Well by Doing Good: Re-Thinking Your Marketing One Relationship at a Time” (co-author), Trial, August 2009
• Arizona State University Legal Psychology Research Lab: Guest Lecturer on Trial Advocacy and Psychology