James graduated with a B.A. from Susquehanna University in Selinsgrove, Pennsylvania in 1983.

He attended Western New England College School of Law (now, Western New England University School of Law) in Springfield, Massachusetts, graduating with a Juris Doctor in 1987.

After law school he joined Rothbard Rothbard Kohn & Kellar in Newark, New Jersey.  While at the Rothbard firm, his practice included general commercial litigation and concentrated on commercial and retail debt collection for local, national, and international clients; representing debtors in chapter 7 and chapter 13 bankruptcy proceedings in the US Bankruptcy Court for the District of New Jersey; and representing creditors in the Bankruptcy Court.

James is admitted to practice in the courts of the State of New Jersey and the US District Court for the District of New Jersey, and is a member of the New Jersey State Bar Association.  He joined Cutolo Barros LLC as an associate in May 2023 with a focus on collection and association law.