James A. DeRoche - Cleveland, OH

James DeRoche joined Garson & Associates in January, 2001. While attending Case Western, Jim served as an editor of the Law Review and was awarded the American Jurisprudence Awards in Civil Procedure, Evidence, Constitutional Law, Legal Research & Writing, Criminal Procedure, Real Estate Transactions & Finance, and Ethics and Labor Law.

After law school, Mr. DeRoche worked with a large Cleveland law firm, handling a variety of litigation matters including complex business litigation. He has extensive trial experience, having successfully tried cases in both federal and state courts, and argued cases before the Ohio Court of Appeals.

He also has experience representing investors in arbitration matters against brokerage firms. Jim served most recently as general counsel of a Solon company, where he assumed both business and litigation responsibilities, while maintaining an active outside litigation practice.

Jim has been practicing law since 1991, and brings extensive business litigation experience to our Firm.

My Story:

Jim DeRoche is a special kind of guy. Every June he faces the possibility of snow, rain, headwinds and blistering sunshine as he cycles swiftly and steadily around the whole state of New Hampshire for a cause he believes in.

Jim heads to the Granite State to participate in the three-day grueling Trans New Hampshire bike marathon to raise money for muscular dystrophy research. "The steep mountains we climb and the unexpected difficulties we encounter along the way are extremely challenging for a rider like me," admits Jim. "But I know these are truly insignificant compared to what children with Muscular Dystrophy face everyday of their sometimes brief lives. I'm grateful I can do some small part on their behalf each year."

Caring for people is not just something that Jim does on the open road. When he walks into his office at Seaman Garson LLC the dangerous twists and turns in Jim's path are the roadblocks put up by giant corporations and insurance companies. But he is always ready to charge into battle for his clients' best interests.

"As a business litigator my highly intense competitive nature serves me well," says Jim. "I'm at my absolute best rooting for the underdog and the downtrodden – those men and women who have been adversely affected by corporate greed. I see that they get their fair day in court and the settlement they deserve. I like winning much more than I like losing. Each case is an intellectual challenge – a testing of my wits against the other side."

Jim's sense of healthy competition has been the hallmark of his life. In high school he was an award winning wrestler and baseball star. He graduated with high honors from the University of Rochester where he was a political science major, and attended Case Western Reserve University School of Law. "I've always been interested in politics, so law school was a natural career for me," says Jim. "It's been very good fit."

When Jim is not preparing for marathon bike rides he enjoys reading literary and news magazines and novels. But family trumps everything. Jim's office is filled with pictures of his wife, daughters and family pets. "At the end of the day, my family means everything to me," grins Jim.