About Rob James
It’s only in England that dilettantism is considered a bad thing. In other countries it's called interdisciplinary research.—Brian Eno
A lawyer. Rob is a partner in the law firm Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP, with offices in San Francisco and Houston. He has practiced at only one firm, for 42 years, something of a rarity these days. A graduate of Stanford University and the Yale Law School, Rob is a member of the California and Texas bars. The focus of his transactional practice is on energy and infrastructure project development, construction, and joint ventures. Rob’s firm resume Rob’s LinkedIn page
A scholar. Rob is Senior Research Fellow of the Institute for Responsible Carbon Removal at American University. He has lectured and spoken at University of California at Berkeley, University of California at Davis, Stanford University, University of Hawai’i, Northwestern University, University of Texas at Austin, and Texas A&M School of Law. Rob’s academic cv
A civic participant. Rob is a member of the Board of Advisers of the Bay Area Council Economic Institute; a director of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California Historical Society; and a leader in Scouting America for the CST3 Council Service Territory serving California and Nevada. He was Chair of the Easter Seal Society of the San Francisco Bay Area (now Easterseals Northern California), President of the Piedmont Scouting Council, a longtime member of the Advisory Council of the Ninth Judicial Circuit Historical Society, and the founding pro bono counsel of the California Resilience Challenge, helping localities plan for adaptation to climate change.
A hardware owner. Rob is an elected member of the American Law Institute. He was recognized as one of the Top 100 Lawyers in California (SF and LA Daily Journals, 2006). He has an Erdos Number of 6, meaning that his collaborative scholarly writing is five degrees of separation from the famous mathematician. In 2024, he received the Distinguished Eagle Scout Award from the National Eagle Scout Association. Rob’s “Roasted Eagle” presentation transcript and video
A grounded fellow. Rob lives in Piedmont, California, with his wife, Sarah, and their bernedoodle, Figgy. They have two children, Caroline (Portland, Maine) and Stewart (Boston, Massachusetts).