James Jorden

James F. Jorden represents many of the country’s largest financial institutions in securities, corporate, and pension litigation. He is experienced in national class action litigation, having served as lead or associate counsel in more than 100 securities, insurance, RICO, and other class actions.

Over the past 20 years, Jim has been lead trial counsel in more than 50 individual cases in federal and state courts throughout the United States. He has argued before the United States Supreme Court, eight of the U.S. circuit courts, and numerous state courts of appeal.

Jim is regularly retained as senior counsel by national insurance companies, mutual funds, and banks, and he has represented industry groups on complex commercial litigation matters.

In addition to his trial and appellate practice, Jim represents clients before the Securities and Exchange Commission, the Department of Labor, the Internal Revenue Service, the Justice Department, and state regulatory agencies. Jim has lectured widely on corporate, securities, and employee benefit litigation and authored numerous articles on class actions and trial practice.

Jim has substantial experience representing his life insurance company clients as lead counsel in reinsurance disputes, including representation in contested arbitrations on behalf of both cedents and reinsurers.

He also represents his insurance company clients in numerous state and federal regulatory hearings and multi-state market conduct examinations. Jim served in the U.S. Army, First Aviation Brigade, Vietnam.

Experience :

• Served as lead defense counsel in a nationwide class action involving allegations of misrepresentation in the marketing of annuity products. The case expanded to cover other sales policies and practices becoming one of the largest class actions against a life insurer. Jim obtained a defense verdict after a three-week jury trial.
• Lead defense counsel in six of the most significant federal court of appeals and state supreme court victories involving class actions in the life insurance industry.
• In a suit alleging policy rate discrimination against more than 1.4 million putative class members, Jim defeated class certification in both the district court and the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals.
• As lead counsel for an insurer during a six-week jury trial involving a complex joint venture contract, Jim obtained a defense verdict and a counterclaim award for his client in excess of $70 million.
• Recently represented a group of independent marketing organizations in a lawsuit challenging the Department of Labor’s “fiduciary” definition and standards under ERISA.

Education :

• George Washington University, LL.B., Editor, George Washington Review
• Dickinson College, B.A.

Bar Admissions : District of Columbia, Florida

Court Admissions :

• U.S. Supreme Court
• U.S. Court of Appeals, First Circuit, Second Circuit, Third Circuit, Fourth Circuit, Fifth Circuit, Sixth Circuit, Seventh Circuit, Eighth Circuit, Ninth Circuit, Eleventh Circuit.
• U.S. Court of Appeals, District of Columbia Circuit
• U.S. District Court, District of Columbia
• U.S. District Court, Middle District of Florida
• U.S. District Court, Southern District of Florida