First Admitted: 1981, Texas

Professional Webpage: https://www.richardson-firm.com/about-us/james-m-richardson/

Bar/Professional Activity:

President, National Board of Trial Advocacy (2020-2022); President-Elect (2017-2020); Executive Committee (2016-present); Member, Board of Directors (2015-present); Civil Trial Advocate (2002-present); Civil Practice Advocate (2012-present); State Coordinator–Texas (2013-present)
President, NBTA Austin-Area Chapter (2016 to present)
State Bar of Texas, Rules of Evidence Committee (1996-98); Disciplinary Rules of Professional Conduct Committee (2000-04); Panel Chair, District 9A Grievance Committee of the State (2002-03) (Member from 1997)
Austin Bar Association, Civil Litigation Section (Past-Chair, 2016-17; Chair, 2015-16; Vice-Chair, 2013-14; Treasurer, 2012-13; Secretary 2011-12); Member, Board of Directors (2009-12; Chair, CLE (1994-96); (Member from 1985)
Member, American Board of Trial Advocates, TEX-ABOTA Chapter
Fellow, Litigation Counsel of America (2015-present)
Fellow, American College of Board Certified Attorneys (2015-present)
Master of the Bench, American Inns of Court, Robert W. Calvert Chapter (2005-present)
Special Assistant Attorney General, State of Texas, 1982
Outstanding Law Graduate, Oklahoma Bar Association

Special Licenses/Certifications:

Board Certified – Civil Trial Law – National Board of Trial Advocacy, 2003
Board Certified – Civil Practice Advocacy – National Board of Trial Advocacy, 2012
Board Certified – Civil Trial Law – Texas Board of Legal Specialization, 2002

Pro bono/Community Service:

Pro Bono College, State Bar of Texas (2019-present)
Founding Life Fellow, Austin Bar Foundation (2005-present)
Life Fellow, Texas Bar Foundation (1999-present)

Honors/Awards:

Past President, National Board of Trial Advocacy, 2022-2024; President, National Board of Trial Advocacy, 2020-2022, National Board of Trial Advocacy
In 2025, Jim Richardson was selected as the exclusively recommended lawyer in Texas by the nationally prominent Construction Attorneys Guide. , Exclusively Recommended Lawyer in Texas for Construction Litigation, The Construction Attorney
Top 50 Texas Super Lawyers, Central and West Texas Region, by Thomson Reuters, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2018, 2019
The Best Lawyers in America© in Commercial Litigation by BL Rankings, 2012-2022, BL Rankings
Top 100 Trial Lawyers®, The National Trial Lawyers, 2019, 2020, 2021
Member, American Board of Trial Advocates
Martindale-Hubbell/LexisNexis, AV®Preeminent™ 5.0-5
Editor-in-Chief, Tulsa Law Review
Outstanding Law Graduate of Oklahoma, Oklahoma Bar Association

Educational Background:

University of California at Los Angeles, B.A. Magna Cum Laude in Political Science, 1977

White Papers:

Empirical analysis and historical background contrasting specialization of medical doctors with specialization of attorneys, trending toward increasing legal specialization of attorneys in the United States. Richardson, James M., President, National Board of Trial Advocacy, Legal Specialization: Fifty Years of Lawyers Playing "Catch Up" with Doctors, United States - Trial Attorneys; Legal Specialists; Attorneys, 2021

Scholarly Lectures/Writings:

Presenter, 18th Annual Ultimate Trial Notebook, Objections, Impeachment, and Witness Voir Dire, Sep. 2023.
Presenter, 17h Annual Ultimate Trial Notebook, Direct and Cross-Examination, Austin Bar Association, Civil Litigation Section, Feb. 2023
Presenter, 15th Annual Ultimate Trial Notebook, Which Cases to Try, Austin Bar Association, Civil Litigation Section, Oct. 2019.
Course Director/Presenter, Essential Trial Advocacy Workshop®, Winning Motions, Presented by National Board of Trial Advocacy, Hosted by Jackson Walker LLP (Oct. 2017)
Presenter, 14th Annual Ultimate Trial Notebook®, Voir Dire, Presented by the Austin Bar Association Civil Litigation Section (Oct. 2018)
Co-Chair/Moderator, 12th Annual Ultimate Trial Notebook 2016 (Co-Chair/Moderator in 2009, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015)
Presenter, Model State Emergency Health Powers Act (March 2015)
Presenter, Texas Lawyers and the Disciplinary Process, 2014
Presenter, Lawyers and Social Network Media Websites: Litigation and Advertising Issues, American Inns of Court, Austin, Texas (Nov. 2009)
Author, Advanced Courtroom Evidence Examination, National Board of Trial Advocacy (2009)
Presenter, Tort Reform Time Machine, American Inns of Court, Austin, Texas (Mar. 2007)
"Ask a Super Lawyer," Automated Camera Defenses, Texas Monthly (Oct. 2006)
Presenter, Litigating Disaster Recovery Issues, American Inns of Court, Austin, Texas (Oct. 2006)
Author, Advanced Courtroom Evidence Examination, National Board of Trial Advocacy (2006)
Co-Chair, National Business Institute, How to Litigate Your First Civil Trial in Texas, Austin, Texas (2002)
Panelist, Review of Litigation/Texas Center for Legal Ethics and Professionalism, Conflicts of Interest Symposium: Cutting Edge Conflicts of Interest Hypotheticals, Austin, Texas (1997)
Presenter, Advanced Civil Trial Course, Offering and Excluding Evidence, Houston, Texas (State Bar of Texas 1996)
Presenter, Austin Bar Association, Offering and Excluding Evidence in Commercial Trials, Austin, Texas (1996)
Presenter, Advanced Civil Trial Course, Sanctions and Alternatives to Sanctions, Houston, Texas (State Bar of Texas 1996)
Presenter, Texas Association of Defense Counsel, Texas Rules of Evidence: Predicates and Exclusions for Selected Rules, Lake Tahoe, Nevada (1996)
Presenter, Advanced Civil Trial Course, Offering and Excluding Evidence, Fort Worth, Texas (State Bar of Texas 1996)
Presenter, Advanced Civil Trial Course, Offering and Excluding Evidence, San Antonio, Texas (State Bar of Texas 1996)
Panelist, Houston Board of Realtors, Dual Agency and Broker Liability, Houston, Texas (1986)
Nova Health Systems, Preparing for the Jury Trial, San Antonio, Texas (1986)
Author, Whom Do You Represent? Knowing Your Principals – Accidental Agency (co-author), 39 Texas Realtor 6 (Feb. 1986)
Panelist, Texas Association of Realtors, Litigation Tips for the Unwary, Austin, Texas (1985)
Author, Helicopteros Nacionales v. Hall: Clarifying the Limits of Personal Jurisdiction, 48 Texas Bar J. 651 (1985)

Other Outstanding Achievements:

20-Year Fellow, Society of Legal Scholars, College of the State Bar of Texas , 2022

Firm News (Newsletters):

Fall Newsletter, National Board of Trial Advocacy (Oct. 2021), Members, National Board Of Trial Advocacy
Summer Newsletter, National Board of Trial Advocacy (Aug. 2021), Members, National Board Of Trial Advocacy
Summer Newsletter, National Board of Trial Advocacy (August 2022), Members, National Board Of Trial Advocacy
Spring Newsletter, National Board of Trial Advocacy (April 2022), Members, National Board Of Trial Advocacy
Winter Newsletter, National Board of Trial Advocacy (Jan. 2022), Members, National Board Of Trial Advocacy

Industry Groups:

AMERICAN BOARD OF TRIAL ADVOCATES
National Board Of Trial Advocacy

James M. Richardson