McManis Faulkner founder and partner James McManis has been named a “California Trailblazer” by The Recorder, a leading legal industry publication and part of the Law.com/ALM (American Lawyer Media) family.
The Recorder’s “California Trailblazers” award recognizes California attorneys who have made significant marks on the legal profession, policy or technological advancements in their sector and across the state.
In its coverage of the honor, The Recorder highlighted McManis’ decades-long dedication to improving access to justice. The profile documents McManis’ representation of Dr. Rahinah Ibrahim for nearly 15 years in the first successful challenge to the placement of an individual on the No Fly list, including four victories in the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals and the U.S. Supreme Court’s denial (Alito, J. dissenting) of the government’s request for certiorari following the appellate court’s final en banc decision. Additionally, McManis is lauded for obtaining a landmark, unanimous California Supreme Court decision regarding public records disclosure. The profile concludes by McManis offering his perspective on the importance of civil rights during the coronavirus pandemic, noting that civil liberties are the first thing to be discarded in a crisis. He says, “There’s always going to be a need for civil rights lawyers, and I’ll be here until they give me the hook and cart me away.”
A seasoned trial lawyer, McManis handles commercial, trade secrets and intellectual property matters, in addition to his civil rights work. He has been a member of the trial bar for more than 50 years, representing 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).
To view the full profile in The Recorder, please click here.