Attorney | CLE Speaker | NY Part 36 Approved Court Receiver
Michael James is the founding attorney of The James Firm. He represents restaurants, bars, nightclubs, hotels, and liquor stores across New York — along with the real estate, transactional, and regulatory work those businesses depend on.
His practice is built on a decade of New York State Liquor Authority work, refined into a process that respects the realities of running a hospitality business: lease deadlines, build-out costs, and opening dates that cannot slip.
Admitted in both New York and New Jersey, Michael advises operators from first-location entrepreneurs to multi-unit groups on licensing, Community Board strategy, SLA compliance and defense, license transfers, commercial leasing, and corporate transactions. He also counsels clients in the cannabis and adjacent regulated-business space, and accepts court appointments as a Part 36 approved receiver.
Legal and undergraduate education forming the foundation of a regulatory and business-focused practice.
Michael James earned a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with a concentration in Finance from Washington Adventist University. His undergraduate education emphasized financial analysis, business operations, accounting, economics, and corporate finance, providing a strong foundation for advising entrepreneurs, investors, and regulated businesses.
Published legal scholarship contributing to the academic literature on regulation and business practice.
Scholarly legal work published through the Penn State Dickinson Law repository, addressing questions at the intersection of regulation and business practice.
View PublicationAdmissions, court approvals, and areas of regulated practice.
Michael James has served as a Continuing Legal Education (CLE) speaker, educating attorneys on highly regulated industries and licensing matters — from cannabis regulation to New York alcohol beverage licensing.
Presented a continuing legal education program addressing the legal, regulatory, licensing, corporate, and operational considerations involved in advising cannabis entrepreneurs.
Watch on LawlinePresented a CLE program providing attorneys with an overview of New York alcoholic beverage licensing, licensing procedures, regulatory requirements, and practical guidance for representing hospitality clients.
In addition to advising entrepreneurs and established companies, Michael James operates regulated businesses himself. That experience informs how matters are handled: licensing timelines are assessed against build-out schedules, compliance obligations are evaluated against staffing realities, and transaction terms are reviewed with an understanding of how they affect operations after closing.
The practical result is counsel grounded in the same considerations clients face — licensing, regulatory compliance, day-to-day operations, financing, and growth — rather than advice delivered solely from the outside.
The firm's work is organized around a consistent set of priorities.
Legal advice is delivered in the context of operating decisions — cost, timing, and the commercial consequences of each option.
Licensed businesses are evaluated continuously by their regulators. Compliance is structured at formation, not after an inquiry.
Ownership, lease, and licensing structures are built to accommodate expansion, financing, and eventual sale.
Risk is identified before capital is committed, and allocated deliberately between parties in contracts and leases.
Disputes are resolved on the terms and timeline that best protect the business, with litigation reserved for when it is warranted.
A running record of CLE presentations, publications, podcasts, interviews, panels, and conference appearances.
Presented a continuing legal education program addressing the legal, regulatory, licensing, corporate, and operational considerations involved in advising cannabis entrepreneurs.
Watch on LawlinePresented a CLE program providing attorneys with an overview of New York alcoholic beverage licensing, licensing procedures, regulatory requirements, and practical guidance for representing hospitality clients.
Scholarly legal work published through the Penn State Dickinson Law repository, addressing questions at the intersection of regulation and business practice.
View PublicationBefore you sign a lease, invest in buildout, or appear before a Community Board, speak with an attorney who understands New York's liquor licensing process.