James M. McGuire focuses his practice on complex commercial litigation, including sophisticated business disputes, white collar and securities litigation and regulatory matters. Mr. McGuire has served in a variety of roles in state government, including most recently as an Associate Justice in the First Judicial Department of New York State’s Appellate Division and as a Justice in the 11th Judicial District for the Supreme Court of the State of New York.
Mr. McGuire also previously served as Chief Counsel to New York State Governor George E. Pataki. His responsibilities included advising the Governor on all pending legislation, litigation and legal issues affecting the day-to-day operations of the state, and supervising the drafting of all legislation proposed by the Governor.
He also advised the Governor on all legal issues arising out of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, and initiated and supervised landmark litigation between the Governor and the Legislature over their respective constitutional roles in the budget process. Before serving as Chief Counsel, Mr. McGuire served as First Assistant Counsel to the Governor, where his responsibilities included advising the Governor on criminal justice legislation and legal matters relating both to executive branch agencies with criminal justice responsibilities and to the Judiciary.
In addition, Mr. McGuire served as the Deputy Chief Counsel of the Appeals Bureau of the New York County District Attorney’s Office, where he argued and supervised appeals before state and federal appellate courts; as Senior Investigative Counsel in the Rackets Bureau, he conducted and supervised investigations and trials involving official corruption and organized crime. As Deputy Counsel to the New York State Commission on Government Integrity, a gubernatorial commission established to investigate matters relating to government integrity and recommend reforms, he conducted and supervised investigations and handled litigation brought by and against the commission.
Education
Fordham University, B.A., 1975, magna cum laude
Cornell University Law School, J.D., 1980, cum laude
Court Admissions
United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit
United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York
United States District Court for the Southern District of New York
Bar Admissions/Qualifications
New York
Memberships
Member, The Chief Judge's Task Force on Commercial Litigation in the 21st Century