Dinita James

Dinita L. James left private practice in 2020, but she has continued to serve as an arbitrator for the American Arbitration Association. She also is a senior editor of Litigation Journal, the quarterly magazine of the ABA Section of Litigation. having recently completed a two-year term as editor in chief. Dinita has extensive experience litigating complex matters in state and federal court over her 33 years of practice. She spent the first 11 years of her practice handling a wide range of commercial and employment litigation in trial and appellate courts, and the next 11 years at a national labor and employment boutique firm. From 2016-2020, she expanded her practice to a broader mix of commercial and employment matters in state and federal trial and appellate courts and in arbitration forums. Her last private practice setting was a small virtual law firm that allowed her to represent both employees and management in workplace-related matters. In January 2020, she left private practice to become an Assistant Attorney General for the State of Arizona. Her diverse government practice includes representation in litigation and advice to the largest state agency, the Department of Economic Security, and the Department of Child Safety. Dinita has steered corporate clients through resolution of a wide array of complex disputes, including defense of large employment discrimination class actions and wage and hour collective actions, as well as consumer and securities class actions, False Claims Act litigation, and defense of corporate directors and officers. She also has represented employers in defense of individual cases arising under anti-discrimination, whistleblower protection and anti-retaliation laws and in enforcement of non-competition and other restrictive covenants and other employment contract matters. She preserved a summary judgment victory won by a large national insurance company in a sex and pregnancy discrimination case that went to the U.S. Supreme Court and on appeal attracted the EEOC and advocacy groups to support the employee. As an arbitration advocate, Dinita has obtained awards on behalf of employers as well as limited an award against an insurance carrier to only a fraction of its multi-million dollar exposure on a coverage dispute involving a complex corporate acquisition. Her experience includes antitrust, environmental, real estate and disputes involving contracts of all kinds.