James Hannaway

Biography

James Hannaway is an Associate in the Firm’s Washington, DC office and practices in the Consumer Protection practice group. He litigates claims on behalf of classes for violations of state consumer protection laws, the Fair Credit Reporting Act, and data privacy laws. He also litigates public nuisance and consumer protection claims on behalf of local governments.

James recently served as co-lead trial counsel for the Mayor & City Council of Baltimore in litigation involving a gun dealer’s sale of ghost gun kits, a case which led to a $62 million jury verdict, the highest verdict ever achieved against the gun industry in U.S. history.

Before joining the firm, James worked at another national, plaintiff-side firm, where he represented whistleblowers, local governments, and employees in individual, class, and MDL litigation. Among other cases, he helped to achieve noteworthy settlements in Mayor & City Council of Baltimore v. Polymer80 et al. (Md. Cir. Ct.), Blackbird ex rel. San Diego et al.  v. Invitation Homes (S.D. Cal.), and Fogg v. Bondi (EEOC). He previously clerked for Magistrate Judge Deborah A. Robinson in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia.

James graduated with highest honors, Order of the Coif, from The George Washington University Law School. While in law school, James served as an Articles Editor of The George Washington Law Review, Chapter President of the American Constitution Society, Student Attorney for the Public Justice Advocacy Clinic, Organizing Committee Member for GW’s graduate worker union, and Research Assistant for Associate Dean Alan Morrison. Prior to law school, James worked on, and eventually managed, several electoral campaigns and worked as a crisis communications consultant.