James D. Friedland

James (Jamie) Friedland is a senior associate in Latham & Watkins' Litigation & Trial Department and Environment, Land & Resources Practice.

James represents clients primarily in complex commercial and energy-related disputes. He represents plaintiffs and defendants in federal and state courts across the country, engaging in every stage of litigation, including drafting and answering complaints, conducting written discovery, taking and defending depositions, preparing and opposing expert witnesses, drafting and arguing motions, and seeing cases through trial.

James has additional experience advising clients on a range of environmental compliance and energy transition matters, including federal and state climate programs (such as the federal Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS), California’s Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS), and the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI)) as well as other development considerations and risk analyses for carbon capture, hydrogen, and wind projects.

James serves on the firm’s Pro Bono Committee and has worked on dozens of pro bono matters, including class action litigation leading to increased access to interpreters for deaf and hard-of-hearing employees at the Department of Agriculture, successful litigation to end the practice of torture at a federal prison in Thomson, IL, and asylum and immigration cases.

Prior to joining Latham, James served as a law clerk to Chief Judge Cecilia M. Altonaga of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida. James graduated from the UCLA School of Law and was an editor on the UCLA Law Review. During law school, James also worked at the Environmental Defense Section of the US Department of Justice and the Natural Resources Section of California’s Office of the Attorney General.