James A. Mulgannon
About
James Mulgannon is dedicated to protecting the rights of individuals throughout the Bay Area. He spent his young childhood years in Benicia, then moved to Berkeley in his early teens. He attended San Francisco State University for undergrad and then received his Juris Doctor from Santa Clara University School of Law. After passing the bar exam, he immediately began working at Pier 5 Law Offices in San Francisco and was an attorney of record in several high-profile cases. He then spent five and a half years working as a Solano County Deputy Public Defender. He joined Maas & Russo in October of 2025.
Below is a summary of his background and professional experience:
1. Jury Trial Experience: James has conducted over 15 jury trials for felony and misdemeanor offenses, including manslaughter, robbery, burglary, driving under the influence, domestic violence allegations, and other assaultive offenses such as assault with a deadly weapon. His trial record consists of more acquittals and mistrials than guilty verdicts.
2. Felony Experience: He has also obtained dismissals in felony cases on the eve of trial, after preliminary examinations, and after extensive litigation involving motions to suppress evidence for Fourth Amendment violations, as well as other contested motions. Additionally, he secured misdemeanor resolutions in cases where clients were originally charged with serious and violent felony offenses. In 2025, as a public defender, James represented a client at jury trial who was charged with first-degree burglary, felon in possession of a firearm, felon in possession of ammunition, and receiving stolen property. The client faced a potential sentence of 22 years in prison. After trial, the jury deliberated for approximately one week and ultimately deadlocked on all charges.
3. Home-Invasion Robbery Jury Trial:
In 2019, shortly after passing the California Bar Exam, James was one of three attorneys representing a client charged in a home-invasion robbery case. After a jury trial, the client was acquitted of three counts of kidnapping and assault with a deadly weapon on a police officer and was convicted only on lesser charges, avoiding a significantly longer prison sentence.
4.“Ghost Ship Fire” Jury Trial Representation:
James served as one of three attorneys representing Max Harris in the criminal prosecution arising from the Ghost Ship warehouse fire, where Mr. Harris was charged with 36 counts of manslaughter. The case was closely followed by media outlets around the world. After a jury trial which lasted months, Harris was acquitted of all charges.
5. Misdemeanor Litigation Experience:
James has conducted multiple jury trials involving driving under the influence, domestic violence allegations, and other assaultive offenses, including assault with a deadly weapon. Through extensive litigation, he also secured dismissals in numerous cases after writing and arguing motions, conducting evidentiary hearings, and pushing forward to trial when the prosecution was not ready.
6. Civil Litigation Work:
James also works alongside Daniel J. Russo representing clients in civil litigation matters, bringing his courtroom experience and litigation skills to cases outside the criminal context.
7. Court-Appointed Representation:
James accepts court-appointed criminal cases in Solano County, continuing his commitment to ensuring that individuals facing criminal charges have access to experienced legal representation.
8. Tenant Defense Work During Law School:
While attending law school, James represented tenants facing eviction in San Francisco, advocating for residents in housing proceedings and gaining early litigation experience.
9. Appeals and Post-Trial Litigation:
James has experience challenging and appealing rulings made by judges in criminal cases, advocating for clients through post-trial motions and appellate proceedings when legal errors occur in the trial court.
10. DMV Administrative Hearings: James represents clients in administrative hearings with the DMV following DUI arrests.
James lives in Oakland. Outside of his legal practice, he enjoys exercising, reading, volunteering at local community organizations, and exploring new cuisine throughout the Bay Area. He is also slowly but surely learning Cantonese.
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