Seymour W. James, Jr., is the Attorney-in-Chief of the criminal practice of The Legal Aid Society in New York City. Mr. James recently completed his term as President of the New York State Bar Association. Active in the State Bar since 1978, Mr. James served as treasurer from 2008 to 2011. He is also a fellow of the New York Bar Foundation and a member of the board of directors of the New York State Defenders Association. Mr. James is a past president of the Queens County Bar Association. In addition to his bar association activities, Mr. James is a member of Chief Judge Jonathan Lippman’s Justice Task Force, the New York State Permanent Sentencing Commission, the Departmental Disciplinary Committee for the First Judicial Department, the Committee on Character and Fitness for the Second Judicial Department and the Independent Judicial Election Qualification Commission for the Second Judicial Department. He also serves as the secretary of the Correctional Association. Mr. James is a graduate of Brown University and Boston University School of Law.