Partner James L. Tuxbury does not turn away from a problem. When clients come to Hinckley Allen with complex disputes and problems, Jim is one of the first in line to lend a hand, figure out the problem and find the solution. As someone who excels under pressure, Jim is uniquely suited to his practice as a high stakes trial litigator. Read on to discover what Jim enjoys about litigation and what it takes to succeed in court.
Tell us about your background and current practice.
I’ve been in private practice almost my entire career. Early in my career, I clerked with a federal judge in Washington, D.C., and then ended up practicing at Williams & Connolly in Washington D.C. for the first several years. In Washington, much like now, my practice was focused on complex commercial disputes, securities litigation and investigations, and regulatory white-collar work. I also worked on several D.C-centric practices, including congressional investigations and election law. In fact, my first week as a lawyer, I went to Capitol Hill and represented the then U.S. House Majority leader in a subpoena dispute. During that time, I also represented a former White House official before the 9/11 Commission.
When I moved to the Boston area, the focus of my core practice remained the same. I’ve been in trial litigation from the beginning and have always focused on trial litigation. I like to go where the fight is, no matter the arena. Right now most of my cases are in the securities and financial services industries. Other industries include food and cannabis. I handle commercial complex disputes, as well as intellectual property and white-collar matters. I thrive when working on high-stakes complex cases.
What do you enjoy about litigation?
I really enjoy solving my client’s problems. I am an inherently competitive person, so I get invested in my client’s problems and cases and dedicate myself to finding a successful solution. Success is unique to each client and each case. Sometimes success is achieved by a prompt resolution. Other times it is achieved by winning at trial. Whatever the circumstances, I enjoy fighting and advocating on behalf of my clients and achieving a win for them. Though some might characterize me as a fighter, I think it’s more accurate to describe me as a problem solver. No matter what a client’s problem is, I’m going to get in there and come up with a successful strategic solution.
What do you think makes a successful litigator?
Successful litigators typically have a competitive nature and are people who love a good challenge. To be a successful trial litigator, you have to be willing to fight for your client. Another key to being a successful trial litigator is to identify the truly critical components of your client’s case and then with those, developing and executing a strategy to achieve a win for your client. Obviously, a trial litigator has to be flexible, but it is important at the start of every case to develop a vision of how the case should proceed in favor of your client and then develop a strategy to make that happen. Maintaining that singular long-term focus on the case enables me to think through all of the issues and anticipate possible next steps.
Why do you think clients hire Hinckley Allen?
Clients want superior legal representation that delivers results and value. Hinckley Allen works smart with small teams and we go up against bigger law firms with larger teams. We have gone head to head with those large firms and won. We are successful in those match ups because we have very talented and experienced trial litigators and the depth to call on resources when needed. We work very collaboratively ‒ that is part of the Firm’s value. Our attorneys have diverse skill sets, subject matter expertise, and experience levels. We know when and how to deploy the right people and resources. With the team we have, we’re able to take on really large cases but also handle a variety of smaller issues for clients, too. More importantly for our clients, we have marshalled these resources with skilled trial litigators to achieve some remarkable wins on behalf of our clients. For example, we recently prevailed at trial on behalf of a client who was sued under the Massachusetts Uniform Securities Act. On top of that, we were able to successfully pursue counterclaims on behalf of that client. We recently achieved a similar outcome on behalf of a real estate investment company.