James Francis

James Francis serves as a Mediator, Arbitrator, and Special Master at JAMS since March 2020, following a distinguished academic role as a Lecturer at the City University of New York School of Law from January 2018 to January 2020. Prior to this, James held the position of United States Magistrate Judge for the Southern District of New York for 32 years, from October 1985 to October 2017, and worked as a Staff Attorney at The Legal Aid Society of NYC from September 1979 to October 1985. James began a legal career as a Law Clerk to Hon. Robert L. Carter, U.S.D.J., from September 1978 to September 1979. Academic credentials include a Doctor of Law (JD) from Yale Law School, a Master in Public Policy (MPP) from Harvard Kennedy School, and a Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Political Science and Government from Yale University.