Michael James — New York attorney for hospitality and regulated businesses.

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.