James S. Carr

carr

Education

  • J.D., Notre Dame Law School, ‘87
  • B.S., Upsala College, Political Science, ‘84

Extracurricular Activities While at NDLS

  • White Scholar, Thomas J. White Center on Law and Government;
  • Recipient of the The William T. Kirby Award for excellence in legal writing;
  • Student Articles Editor, Notre Dame Journal of Law, Ethics & Public Policy;
  • New York Galilee Program;
  • Recruitment Director for New York and New Jersey;
  • Law School softball teams;
  • Law School basketball teams;
  • Bookstore Basketball Tournament;
  • Law School flag football teams

Post-graduation

Law Clerk to the Honorable Robert Muir, Jr., J.A.D., New Jersey Superior Court, Appellate Division (August 1987 to September 1988)

Employment

Partner, Kelley Drye & Warren LLP (October 1988 to current)
New York, New York

Insights Regarding My Area of Practice

  • As a bankruptcy attorney, I get the opportunity to become an expert about various businesses (like the energy industry and the retail industry) and to work very closely with companies to help them either to become profitable or to minimize their exposure to companies on the verge of filing for bankruptcy. Bankruptcy law is one of the few substantive areas of law that requires an attorney to have a complete understanding of how a business operates and what makes a business profitable.

Volunteer/Pro Bono Work

  • Kelley Drye volunteers on a number of pro bono panels. As such, I have had the opportunity to represent indigent defendants in minor criminal matters and in civil matters. One memorable pro bono case I handled lead to the successful representation of my client, who was stuck in Reunion, which is a small island in the Indian Ocean east of Madagascar, for about one year with no money when her boat was arrested in Reunion (the client was in the middle of a circumnavigation of the world) and all of her assets in New York were frozen by the bank which had a lien on the boat. After a number of court hearings and motion practice, the court ruled that the bank improperly seized the boat and had my client’s assets frozen. The court awarded my client damages.

On the Impact of the NDLS Education:

“The law professors at Notre Dame Law School have had a profound impact on my life in general and, in particular, the way I practice law by teaching me to look at an issue from both a spiritual and intellectual perspective. As such, my experience at Notre Dame Law School impacts just about every legal decision I make as well as advice I provide to my clients.”

On Classmates and Friendships:

“To this day, I stay in touch on a regular basis with 5 of my classmates, who were very good friends during law school. We refer legal work to each other and, when needed, still provide support for each other, both from a professional and personal perspective.”

On the Notre Dame Lawyer:

“The general perception of a lawyer who is a Notre Dame graduate is of one who is well educated in all areas of the law, can handle pressure, possesses common sense and has a spiritual perspective.”