McManis Faulkner Founder and Partner James McManis has been named an “Elite Boutique 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.
The National Law Journal’s “Elite Boutique Trailblazers” awards recognize individuals in the legal industry who have influenced the small law firm sector through new types of strategies or innovative court cases.
In making its selection, the National Law Journal profiles McManis’ early career, noting that he originally tried criminal cases with the District Attorney’s office before leaving to start his own firm. The profile details McManis’ recent win in the landmark California Supreme Court decision in Smith v. City of San Jose. The case set a statewide precedent for records disclosure, applying to all public entities in California and overruling the common municipal practice of withholding records related to public business sent or received from private devices of public officials. The profile also highlights McManis’ work to recover $55 million for taxpayers after suing San Jose for using redevelopment funds to build City Hall.
McManis handles commercial, trade secrets and intellectual property matters, in addition to his civil rights work. 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).