McManis Faulkner Founder and Partner James McManis has been named a “Litigation Trailblazer” by The National Law Journal, a leading legal industry publication that is part of the Law.com/ALM (American Lawyer Media) family of media.
In its coverage of the honor, The National Law Journal notes several of McManis’ trial wins – particularly those in which McManis and his team took on the government – as “Trails Blazed.” Among these highlights are the landmark California Supreme Court decision in Smith v. City of San Jose that set a statewide precedent for records disclosure, applying to all public entities in California and overruling the City's practice of withholding records related to public business sent or received from private devices of public officials; the successful recovery of $55M for taxpayers after suing San Jose for using redevelopment funds to build City Hall; and the historic ruling in Ibrahim v. Department of Homeland Security, the first successful challenge of an individual placed on a post-9/11 watchlist.
In addition to his civil rights work, McManis handles cases in the commercial, trade secrets and intellectual property arenas. A member of the trial bar for more than 50 years, he also represents individuals in civil rights actions, employment disputes, family law and criminal defense. McManis is an honorary bencher of the Honorable Society of King’s Inns, the oldest institution of legal education in Ireland. In addition, he is a Fellow of the Academy of Court Appointed Masters, the American College of Trial Lawyers, the Litigation Counsel of America, the American Bar Foundation and the International Academy of Trial Lawyers. McManis received his J.D. from the University of California, Berkeley School of Law (1967) and his B.A. in History, with Distinction, Phi Beta Kappa, from Stanford University (1964).
McManis Faulkner provides a full range of litigation services, representing both corporations and individuals through trial and appeal. The firm handles a wide range of litigation, including business, civil rights, class actions, criminal, employment, family, general civil, intellectual property, personal injury, probate, and professional negligence. With experienced, well-trained trial lawyers and staff, McManis Faulkner prides itself on its ethnic, cultural, and religious diversity.