Jim Belanger

Jim Belanger is an accomplished trial lawyer who represents and counsels companies, individuals and financial institutions in a wide range of sensitive and complex white collar criminal and civil litigation and in government investigations. Issues in his cases have included alleged violations of the False Claims Act, the Stark Amendments and anti-kickback laws, federal and state securities laws, state and federal banking laws, consumer fraud and deceptive trade practices, professional misconduct including State Bar charges, public corruption, mortgage and real estate fraud, sexual misconduct, RICO, and forfeiture and money laundering. He also has extensive complex commercial litigation and bankruptcy experience particularly in the areas of real estate related fraud and in recovery actions on behalf of Chapter 11 debtors and trustees.

Jim has been an Adjunct Professor of Law at Arizona State University since 1991 and currently teaches a seminar on Government Investigations and White Collar Process. He is a frequent presenter for the State Bar on white collar and ethical issues, including Leadership, Ethics and Honor, a course on leadership he created for lawyers, government officials and business leaders. His pro bono work focuses on professionalism and ethical issues and the defense of death penalty cases where he has successfully defended against the death penalty in over a dozen cases since 1991.

EDUCATION AND BAR ADMISSIONS

• J.D., Arizona State University, with honors, 1987
• B.A., Anthropology, Brandeis University, with honors, 1981
• Admitted in Arizona, 1987

REPRESENTATIVE MATTERS

• Representation of an international bank against civil and administrative allegations of consumer fraud and predatory lending in which the state sought civil penalties in excess of $38 million
• Representation of senior management in an SEC investigation involving a mortgage bank with $1 billion in assets
• Representation of a national title company in a False Claims Act case involving a national lender and alleged violations of federal housing laws
• Representation of the Arizona Department of Financial Insitutions as outside counsel in a complex mortgage license revocation
• Representation of public official and private company alleged to have filed false election documents
• Representation of numerous lawyers in State Bar investigations against allegations of professional misconduct
• Representation of tribal executive against federal allegations of money laundering and theft of honest services
• Representation of physicians in false claims, anti-kickback and Stark Amendments cases
• Representation of national marketing company and officer against allegations of consumer fraud and deceptive trade practices
• Representation of trustee in Chapter 11 bankruptcy cases of Boston Chicken, Nelson and Herbert Hunt, and Kaiser Steel.

ACTIVITIES AND RECOGNITIONS

• Listed in Best Lawyers in America for White Collar Criminal Defense, Commercial Litigation, and Non-White Collar Criminal Defense
• Listed in Chambers USA Guide to America's Leading Lawyers for Business for Government Investigations and White Collar Criminal Defense
• Listed in Super Lawyers (Southwest) for White Collar Criminal Defense, Professional Liability and Ethics Defense, and Commercial Litigation
• Adjunct Professor of Law, Arizona State University Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law (1991 to present)(Government Investigations and White Collar Criminal Process; the Jurisprudence of the Death Penalty)
• Arizona Attorneys for Criminal Justice: Board of Governors (2004 to present)(President 2008)
• Volunteers Lawyers Program Recruitment Support Award (2009), Volunteer Lawyers Program of Maricopa County
• Arizona Foundation for Legal Services Pro Bono Award (2009)
• Member, Arizona Supreme Court Commission on Victims in the Courts (2008 to present)
• Chair, Nomination, Retention and Standards Commission on Indigent Defense, for selection of Arizona’s first State Capital Post-Conviction Public Defender (2006 to present)
• Member, Arizona State Bar Indigent Defense Task Force (2006 to present)
• Board of Directors, Special Olympics Arizona (2006-2008); State Director, Arizona Special Olympics Soccer (1983-2000)
• All New England Soccer Selection 1979, 1980; two-time inductee into Brandeis University Athletics Hall of Fame

REPRESENTATIVE PUBLICATIONS AND PRESENTATIONS

• "Leadership, Ethic and Honor," (first presented in 2006)
• "Compliance Plans and Criminal Law Issues in Medicare Billing," Billing and Reimbursement Summit, Las Vegas, Nevada, June 2000
• "A Practical Guide to Remediation, Disclosure and Cooperation in the Context of Corporate Misconduct," American Bar Association - Section of Litigation, Summer 2005
• "Ephemeral Letters of Transit: Responding to Government Requests for Electronically Stored Information," American Bar Association - Section on Litigation, Winter 2007
• "Trail Dog and the Tao Te Ching (Honor, Ethical Rules and a Way of Life)," The Defender, Fall 2007
• "ETHICS: A Capital Case Conundrum," The Defender, Spring 2007
• "Seeking Attorney's Fees in Criminal Cases," Arizona Attorney, April 2001 (co-author)