James Ghilotti was born in Sonoma County and from a young age his parents always urged him to pursue a career in the law. Early on he learned the value of hard work during his summers working construction with his father. After completing his undergraduate degree he jumped into various sales jobs and found a home at a mortgage bank. He enjoyed helping people with their financial condition and bringing a sense of ease and comfort to his clients.

In 2008 he joined Maggiora & Ghilotti, Inc., in San Rafael helping run their production department. At the age of 30, Mr. Ghilotti met his wife and she saw what his parents saw which was the desire to achieve what at the time seemed an insurmountable task, a career in law. His success can be attributed to his sheer determination to make a difference and the loving support of his family. James Ghilotti joined Brayton Purcell in 2011 as a law clerk and was promoted to an associate attorney in 2016. He has been active in our asbestos litigation practice in our Novato office since 2011. He has earned the respect from his colleagues and is determined to be a zealous advocate for his clients. James Ghilotti attended law school at Empire College School of Law, and graduated with his Juris Doctor in May of 2016. He also received a dual degree during that time getting his Masters in Legal Studies in April of 2014. During his time in law school, Mr. Ghilotti worked as a law clerk, here at Brayton Purcell, which include developing cases and trial related work among many other things that arise during civil litigation. He worked his way up to lead law clerk and hired other law clerks to create a successful trial team of law clerks. Mr. Ghilotti received the Witkin Award for Academic Excellence during law school in Torts. During law school, Mr. Ghilotti was active in clinics that were geared to helping the community. One such clinic was entitled, Self-Help Access Center, where he spent several hours each week helping people who could not afford legal representation with family law issues, such as petitions for divorce and child custody battles. Mr. Ghilotti also participated in a Disability Law Clinic, which entailed drafting a brief for the administrative judge in Marin County. Mr. Ghilott’s brief was successful, he helped a claimant who had been previously denied benefits obtain them. Mr. Ghilotti also had the wonderful experience of working for Small Claims Court as an intermediary between the public and the clerks office in the Small Claims Clinic rendering aid to anyone who needed assistance. During law school, Mr. Ghilotti was a student member of Consumer Attorneys of California (CAOC).Mr. Ghilotti graduated with his bachelor of science and economics degree in Business Administration from Saint Mary’s College of California. Mr. Ghilotti has developed a keen sense of how to prioritize what is most important while accomplishing the numerous tasks that accompany being a litigator. This keen sense will serve him well as he pursues his aspirations to become a successful trial lawyer. Mr. Ghilotti values family just as much as his own personal desire to become successful. To him, they are one in the same. He is a proud husband to Diana Ghilotti and proud father to three boys, James, Jacob and one on the way.