Charles Albert James (born May 2, 1954) is an American attorney specializing in
antitrust law
Competition law is the field of law that promotes or seeks to maintain market competition by regulating anti-competitive conduct by companies. Competition law is implemented through public and private enforcement. It is also known as antitrust ...
, where he is one of the few African Americans in the field. Since 2010, he has been an adjunct faculty member at Arizona State University. James served as the
Assistant Attorney General
Many of the divisions and offices of the United States Department of Justice are headed by an assistant attorney general.
The president of the United States appoints individuals to the position of assistant attorney general with the advice and ...
United States Department of Justice
The United States Department of Justice (DOJ), also known as the Justice Department, is a federal executive department of the United States government tasked with the enforcement of federal law and administration of justice in the United Stat ...
from 2001 to 2002.
Early life and education
James was born in
Newark, New Jersey
Newark ( , ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of New Jersey and the seat of Essex County and the second largest city within the New York metropolitan area.Union High School. He earned his bachelor's degree from
Wesleyan University
Wesleyan University ( ) is a private liberal arts university in Middletown, Connecticut. Founded in 1831 as a men's college under the auspices of the Methodist Episcopal Church and with the support of prominent residents of Middletown, the col ...
From 1979 to 1985, James worked for the Federal Trade Commission, serving as Assistant to the Director of the FTC's Bureau of Competition from 1983 to 1985. He entered private practice in 1985, joining Jones, Day, Reavis & Pogue. He returned to the federal government in 1989 during the
George H. W. Bush administration
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, serving as Deputy Assistant Attorney General at the Antitrust Division. He served as Acting Assistant Attorney General for several months in 1992. James returned to Jones Day in 1992, where he practiced law until his confirmation as Assistant Attorney General on June 14, 2001.
In 2002, James re-entered private practice, serving as vice president and general counsel of Chevron-Texaco. He was made executive vice president in 2009. He retired in 2010, joining the
Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law
The Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law (ASU Law) is one of the professional graduate schools at Arizona State University in Phoenix, Arizona. The school is located in the Beus Center for Law and Society on ASU's downtown Phoenix campus. The law ...
at ASU as an adjunct professor specializing in antitrust.