Criminal defense is the main focus of the firm. Jim was born and raised in Asheville, North Carolina and is a 1987 graduate of A.C. Reynolds High School.  He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology from the University of South Carolina and a Juris Doctor from George Mason University School of Law, which is located in Arlington, Virginia.

Jim is admitted to practice in all North Carolina State Courts, the United States District Court for the Western District of North Carolina, and the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit.  He is a member of the North Carolina Bar Association, the North Carolina Advocates for Justice (formerly the North Carolina Academy of Trial Lawyers), and the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers.