Jim formed Slear Law after more than 10 years at Gibson Dunn and Crutcher and more than 12 years as partner at Thompson Coburn, all after 16 years on active duty in the military serving as a commanding officer and judge advocate.  

 

Jim advises domestic and international clients on international trade compliance and enforcement matters, including the economic and trade sanctions administered by the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) as well as the UK and EU, the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR), the Export Administration Regulations (EAR) and the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA). He also advises clients on regarding matters involving the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS).

 

In all Jim has more than 35 years of experience conducting internal investigations for numerous clients in a wide variety of matters, including criminal and civil matters both domestically and abroad, including Europe, the Middle East, South America, Japan, the People's Republic of China, Mexico, and Malaysia.
 

Jim has advised clients ranging from Fortune 100 companies to individuals, and in a wide array of industries including but not limited to aerospace, biomedicine, defense, financial services, (re)insurance, Internet services, manufacturing, semiconductor and telecommunications.   

 

Prior to entering private legal practice, Jim was a commanding officer and then a Judge Advocate in the U.S. Air Force. During his military career, he became an accomplished trial lawyer, serving as the Air Force's Chief Trial Counsel in Asia and later as a Federal Court Trial Attorney for the Air Force's Commercial Litigation Division. He reached the rank of Lieutenant Colonel in the U.S. Air Force Reserves serving for 23 years in all.

 

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EDUCATION

• The Army Judge Advocate General School
  LL.M., with distinction, 1998

• Georgetown University Law Center,

  J.D., magna cum laude, order of the coif, 1992

• Oregon State University,

  M.S., 1987

• University of Evansville,

  B.A., 1979

BAR LOCATION
District of Columbia

Admitted September 14, 2001