James Sanders

James is a Seattle trial attorney who focuses on employment law. James's practice covers all types of legal disputes that arise between employees and employers, including employment discrimination, trade secrets, non-competition, employee raiding, wage and hour and employment class actions. An experienced first-chair trial attorney, James avoids "checklist" litigation strategies and instead looks for particular and cost effective solutions to each dispute. When that doesn't work, he litigates for his clients with a fair but aggressive style that consistently produces winning results.

James also has an active counseling practice, especially in the high-technology sector, having assisted clients such as Microsoft, AT&T Mobility, Cardiac Science, Corixa, T-Mobile, Qwest, aQuantive, and Boeing with executive negotiations, employee IP disputes and other complex employment issues. 

Chair of the Seattle Hiring Committee, James is proud of Perkins Coie's nationally recognized "No Jerks" policy and he's worked hard over the years to help recruit the kind of lawyers that have made Perkins Coie one of FORTUNE Magazine's "100 Best Companies to Work For" for ten years in a row.

James studied Rhetoric at Berkeley before attending law school at the University of Chicago where he was the Hinton Moot Court co-champ and a member of the Law Review. Before school, James worked in the wine business. 

Professional Recognition

• Listed in Washington Law & Politics, "Washington's Super Lawyers"
• Listed in Washington Law & Politics, “Rising Stars of Washington Law”
• Recognized by King County Bar Association for pro bono work with the Lutheran Compass Center

Professional Leadership

• Leadership Tomorrow, Class of 2002 - 2003

Related Employment

• University of Washington School of Law, Adjunct Professor of Trial Advocacy

Clerkships

• Hon. William B. Shubb, U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California, 1994 - 1995