James C. Duda
- Profile
- Experience
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- Affiliations
James C. Duda
Bio
As both an attorney and professional engineer, Jim brings to his clients both legal and technical expertise. The focus of his practice is helping his clients to minimize risks, understand and address regulatory requirements, negotiate favorable contracts, and resolve disputes efficiently and effectively, particularly in matters involving technology or the environment.
As an engineer and practicing attorney before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, Jim understands technical issues. In this respect, a substantial portion of his practice is devoted to protecting and developing his client’s data, ideas, brands and other intellectual property. This includes prosecution of patents, development of cybersecurity and trade secret programs, registration and maintenance of trademarks, and dispute resolution, with or without litigation.
Before studying law, Jim worked as a civil engineer and energy resource specialist with the California Department of Water Resources and as an environmental planner and alternative energy consultant in private practice. After law school, Jim first served as a clerk for the Honorable Juan R. Torruella on the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit. He then worked for a multinational law firm in Washington, DC, where he helped to establish its environmental law practice.
Jim is a magna cum laude graduate of Boston College Law School. He has a master’s degree in engineering from the University of California at Los Angeles and is a registered professional engineer in civil engineering. He is a member of numerous bars, including the U.S. Supreme Court. He has taught as an adjunct professor at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. He currently teaches as an adjunct professor at the Isenberg School of Management within the University of Massachusetts and regularly speaks on data protection, technology, intellectual property and environmental issues.
Bar Admissions
- Massachusetts
- District of Columbia
- U.S. Patent and Trademark Office
- U.S. District Courts for the Districts of Massachusetts, District of Columbia, and Eastern District of Wisconsin
- U.S. Courts of Appeals for the First Circuit and for the District of Columbia
- U.S. Supreme Court
Education
- Bennington College, B.A., 1976
- University of California at Los Angeles, M.S., 1980
- Boston College, J.D., magna cum laude, 1987
Experience
- Recovered a seven-figure settlement in a commercial dispute involving proprietary information, trade secrets, innovative green energy technology, substantial issues of e-discovery and claims under federal and state law, including the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act.
- Developed intellectual property policies for medical research facilities.
- Recovered damages and rights to a food distributor’s trademark taken by a competitor.
- Recovered patent rights for a manufacturer of gas conduit products while defending patent infringement claims.
- Represented a special committee of a board of directors regarding potential director liability for the company’s nuclear reactor program.
- Managed the expert testimony of over a dozen experts in connection with the defense of a petrochemical company in a class action lawsuit involving more than 7,000 plaintiffs.
- In pro bono representation, recovered substantial damages against a major municipal police force for civil rights violations in connection with the misuse of the city’s disorderly conduct laws.
Affiliations
- Serves on the board of directors of the WFCR Foundation
- Mentor for a team of students from the University of Massachusetts chapter of Engineers Without Borders that developed clean drinking water supply technology and strategies in a reservation within the Brazilian area of the Amazon Forest
- Member, American Bar Association
- Member, Massachusetts Bar Association
- Member, American Society of Civil Engineers