JASON B. JAMES

“My objective is to quickly and accurately identify the interests that each party in the litigation is seeking to protect. There is inherent value in the parties having a hand in crafting a resolution, and my ultimate goal is to push the parties to resolve...”

• NADN (National Academy of Distinguished Neutrals)  
• CLSA (Construction Lawyers of America)

• AWARDED CHAMBERS BAND 1  top ranking for the state of North Carolina in Construction Alternative Dispute Resolution 2026
• AWARDED 2027 CHARLOTTE LAWYER OF THE YEAR for Litigation Construction by Best Lawyers®
• RECOGNIZED  Best Lawyers®  in America 2027  Litigation - Construction
• NAMED CHARLOTTE LAWYER OF THE YEAR 2025 
• LEGAL ELITE  HALL OF FAME  Winner Construction Law 2020
• 2018-2025 SUPERLAWYERS Top 25 Charlotte  &  Top 100 North Carolina 

Jason B. James is a founding partner of James deNobriga Long, PLLC and a Superior Court Certified Mediator who has personally guided more than 3,000 cases to successful resolution since 2008. 

A premier civil neutral in the Carolinas, Jason was inducted into the elite National Academy of Distinguished Neutrals (NADN) and has been recognized as the 2027 Best Lawyers® "Lawyer of the Year" for Charlotte, NC for his Construction Litigation practice. 

Backed by over two decades of trial experience, Jason balances high-profile business litigation with a highly specialized alternative dispute resolution (ADR) practice. His evaluative neutral model prioritizes pre-session document diagnostics, structured risk assessments, and neutral case management to resolve complex multi-party and multi-million dollar claims prior to trial.Areas of Specialized Neutral and Practice Expertise:

• Complex Construction Defects & Delay Claims: Jason possesses deep domain authority across multi-discipline construction liabilities. He routinely serves as a mediator, arbitrator, and neutral facilitator in high-stakes disputes involving architectural and design professional liabilities, multi-party engineering defects, scheduling delay claims, performance shortfalls, and wrongful termination disputes. He represents and mediates conflicts among Owners, Developers, Design Professionals, General Contractors, Subcontractors, and Sureties.
• Commercial and Business Tort Typologies: Specializing in intense economic and organizational friction, Jason mediates and arbitrates multi-million dollar corporate actions. His case docket focuses heavily on unfair and deceptive trade practices claims (UDTPA), trade secrets violations, breach of fiduciary duty, and complex business dissolution or shareholder squeeze-out disputes.
• Commercial Landlord & Tenant Lease Litigation: Jason maintains extensive experience navigating high-exposure real estate and property infrastructure standoffs. He provides specialized neutral evaluation and dispute resolution for commercial lease negotiations, complex eviction actions, and property damage liabilities representing both national commercial landlords and corporate tenants.
• Advanced Neutral Management & Early Evaluation: Beyond traditional single-session setups, Jason provides Early Neutral Evaluation (ENE) services designed to help parties isolate target issues and objectively evaluate the merits of their legal positions early in the litigation cycle. He also provides ongoing neutral case management and discovery referee services to facilitate communication and streamline the pre-trial phase in highly volatile, multi-party commercial lawsuits.

"As the costs and risks associated with litigation continue to increase exponentially, my clients trust me to protect their interests and counsel them as they make business decisions that have a significant impact on their companies. " JASON JAMES

LITIGATION     MEDIATION     CONSTRUCTION & DESIGN    INSURANCE COVERAGE  LANDLORD/TENANT DISPUTES    LIENS    BREACH OF CONTRACT  

LITIGATION PRACTICE

Jason's litigation practice is focused the areas of construction litigation and surety law, construction defect litigation,  complex commercial litigation, and dispute resolution.  

• Jason has successfully litigated complex commercial and business disputes for his clients involving misappropriation of trade secrets and unfair and deceptive trade practice cases involving multi-million-dollar claims. His trade secrets and unfair competition practice involves competing businesses and covenants not to compete, as well as claims against rogue employees.  

• In 2024 Jason was inducted into the Construction Lawyers Society of America, an invitation-only construction lawyer honorary society with membership limited to 1,200 practicing Fellows from the United States and internationally.

Jason’s construction and surety law practice focuses on working with clients at every phase of the construction process. He has significant experience representing owners and developers, as well as design professionals, general contractors, subcontractors, and material suppliers in the negotiation of contracts on the front end of a project through project close out. When disputes arise following project completion, he handles litigation matters related to construction defect and delay claims, wrongful termination claims, and liability issues.

Jason firmly believes in the importance of giving back to both the legal community and the greater Charlotte community. 

He has a long history of service to both the Mecklenburg County Bar and North Carolina Bar Association. He is a past chair of the Mecklenburg County Bar Litigation Section as well as the Professionalism, Lawyer Life and Culture Committee. 

He is active with the North Carolina Bar Association’s Litigation Section Council and Construction Law Section, as well as the American Bar Association’s Construction Law and Dispute Resolution Sections. 

Jason is a North Carolina native from High Point. His wife Laura grew up in Mississippi, and the two met in Charlotte. It is undisputed that his wife is the artistic one in the family and is best known as the creative genius behind Laura James Jewelry. Their daughter Lila is in middle school and already a skilled negotiator who routinely lectures them on successful negotiation strategies. At the end of 2012, Jason learned to swim, bought a bike (now several), and Triathalons became a hobby here and there. In addition to spending time with his family, he has a passion for all things outdoors, most notably turkey hunting. He is also a Mississippi Delta Hot Tamale connoisseur.
 

Campbell University, JD, 2001

Wake Forest University, BA, 1996 

Bar & Court Admittance 2001, North Carolina United States District Courts for the Western, Middle, and Eastern Districts of North Carolina The United States Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit.