James V. Pianelli

James V. Pianelli Of Counsel

Jim is a trial attorney specializing in business litigation, personal injury and complex civil actions.  He is a graduate of Syracuse University College of Law and was awarded an advanced Master of Laws from New York University.  Jim is board certified in the areas of Civil Trial Law and Personal Injury Trial Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization.  Jim has extensive litigation experience trying hundreds of cases since 1979.

Jim is an Army veteran and served in the Judge Advocate General’s Corps for over a decade with assignments that included a faculty position at West Point.  He has been recognized by many varied professional organizations for outstanding service, to include the, American Board of Trial Attorneys, Texas Bar Foundation, Super Lawyers of Texas, Texas Monthly, Million Dollar Advocates Forum, and Who’s Who in Professional Executives.

Jim is a frequent lecturer and author, particularly on topics related to commercial litigation and biomedical issues.

Education

  • NEW YORK UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF LAW, L.L.M., 1984
  • SYRACUSE UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF LAW, JD, 1978
  • STATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK, COLLEGE AT PLATTSBURGH, BA, 1975, Magna Cum Laude
  • Board Certified, Texas Board of Legal Specialization
    • Personal Injury Trial Law
    • Civil Trial Law
  • ABOTA – Associate
  • State Bar of New York, 1979 – present
  • State Bar of Texas, 1989 – present
  • United States Supreme Court, 1984 – present
  • US District Court for the Southern District of Texas
  • Houston Medical Legal Society, 1989 – 1996
  • Fee Disputes Committee, Houston Bar Association 1992-1993
  • State Bar of Texas Grievance Committee Panel Chair (4H) 1995-1999
  • Director, Greater Houston Better Business Bureau 2003-200
  • Fellow, Texas Bar Foundation
  • President, Woodway Pines Homeowners Association 2011 to present
  • President, Hilshire Grove Community Improvement Assn. 1992, 1999-2001
  • Founder, Emory Sneeden Trial Center, Hanau, Germany 5/89
  • Honor Graduate – Airborne Training Class 29-84, Ft Benning, Georgia
  • Meritorious Service Medal (3)
  • Army Commendation Medal
  • Army Achievement Medal
  • Army Service Ribbon
  • Overseas Service Ribbon
  • Department of Political Science, 1975 Honor Graduate – SUNY Plattsburgh
  • Assistant Professor, Criminal Law Division, The Judge Advocate General’s School, Charlottesville, VA as an Individual Mobilization Designee, 1989-1998
  • Assistant Professor, USMA, 1981 – 1984
  • US Army Armor Center, Instructor, 1979 – 1981
  • Adjunct Professor, Big Bend Community College, European Division, 1985 – 1989

Jim has written numerous Speeches and Publications. His Publications appear in journals such as; New England Journal of Medicine, North Carolina Medical Journal and The Texas Evidence Reporter.

  • “It Will Take More Than Notebooks to Stop Fraud,”
    Dr. Kimon Angelides and James V. Pianelli, Nature, 3 December 1998, page. 404
  • “Pediatricians Beware! The Need for Early Recognition and Action in Spousal Abuse,”
    Robert F Perry, MD, James V Pianelli, JD, LLM and Heidi Long, MSII, North Carolina Medical Journal, May/June 1996, Vol. 57, no 3, page 1
  • Commentary, Robert F Perry, MD, Andrew P Garlisi, MD and James V Pianelli, Pediatric Emergency Care, February 1996, Vol. 12, no 1, page 71
  • “The Malpractice Mess,”
    New England Journal of Medicine, commentary, April 28, 1994, Volume 330, Number 17
  • “Exploiting Opportunities in Opening Statements,”
    for presentation by the State Bar of Texas Continuing Legal Education Course: Choosing and Courting a Jury, 1994
  • “Innovative Discovery Techniques, The Discovery Plan,” Texas Evidence Reporter, 10 Tex Evid Rep 2 (1993)
  • “Corporate Acquisitions and Employee Benefit Plans: Fiduciary Obligations under ERISA”*
  • “The Indigent and the Criminal Process: Limited Right to Expert Services at Public Expense”*
  • “Labor Picketing: Bastardized Free Expression under the First Amendment”*
  • “The Custodial Requirement of Miranda and Article 31(b), Uniform Code of Military Justice”*
  • “Rehabilitative Expectations in Army Corrections: The US Army Retraining Brigade”*
  • “The Offense of Driving While Intoxicated and the Right to Counsel”*
  • “Judicial Supervision of Pretrial Agreements in the Military”*
  • * Prepared and Submitted as part of LLM requirements at New York University School of Law
  • Author – TTLA, Staying in the Current, Belize, November 3-7, 1999
  • Faculty – TTLA Trial Advocacy College of Texas, Austin, TX, June 23-26, 1999
  • Author – TTLA Winning Edge Ski Seminar, Breckenridge, CO., February 3, 1999, “Practice Management Tips: Cost Effective Techniques For Managing Your Office”
  • Course Director/Moderator – TTLA 5th Annual Paraprofessional Program, December 3, 1998, Houston, Texas
  • Moderator – TTLA Advanced Personal Injury Seminar, August 20, 1998, Houston, TX
  • Author/Speaker – TTLA Beat the Heat, Whitefish, Montana, July 16-19, 1998, “Settlement Traps and Lures.”
  • Author/Speaker – TTLA Today’s Lawyer is a Lean, Mean Fighting Machine, Houston, TX “Practical Management Tips,” May 8, 1998
  • Moderator – TTLA Car Wrecks Seminar, Houston, TX, November 14, 1997
  • Author/Speaker – South TX College of Law, Automobile Injury Litigation Conf. “Getting Ready to Litigate,” May 16, 1997
  • Program Chair – “Law Practice Management”, TTLA’s CLE Program “The Litigator’s Overview: A Practical Guide to a Successful Trial Practice” October 18, 1996
  • Author/Speaker Program Chair, – March 1996, “Avoiding the Grievance Committee” presented at the Texas Trial Lawyers Association seminars in Houston, Dallas and S Padre Island entitled “The Litigator’s Overview, A Practical Guide to a Successful Practice”
  • Author/Speaker, – April 1995, “Trying the Automobile Injury Case in Texas” presented at the NBI seminar in Houston, Texas
  • Author/Speaker, – December 16, 1994, “Drafting and Responding to Discovery” & “The Role of the Paralegal in the Deposition Process” presented at the CISI seminar, Texas Civil Litigation Practice for Paralegals, Houston, Texas
  • Author/Speaker, – December 2, 1994, “The Health Care Witness on Direct” presented at the Advanced Techniques for Witness Examination, Texas Trial Lawyers Association Houston, Texas
  • Author/Speaker, – November 18, 1994, “The Health Care Witness on Direct” presented at the Advanced Techniques for Witness Examination, Texas Trial Lawyers Association San Antonio, Texas
  • Speaker – July 22, 1994, “Handling Hard Questions in Voir Dire” presented at TTLA Seminar, Advanced Persuasion Tactics, Arlington, Texas
  • Speaker – January 20, 1994, “Innovative Discovery Techniques in Premises Cases,” Premises Liability Seminar, San Antonio Texas
  • Author/Speaker – NY Trial Academy, “Using Tort Reform as an advantage in Voir Dire” – Albany, NYC, Rochester and Syracuse, 2006