Veteran trial lawyer James A. Hurd, Jr., has joined the Houston office of national law firm Wilson Elser as of counsel. Mr. Hurd’s primary practices areas include Toxic Tort, Environmental & Energy and Government Compliance.

He has nearly 40 years of experience as a lawyer and counselor for both government and private clients on civil and criminal matters. He spent 18 of those years in various posts at the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), including serving as the United States Attorney for the US Virgin Islands, a position appointed by the president of the United States.

Mr. Hurd has been involved in more than 150 jury trials and also has advised large multinational corporations on meeting their compliance obligations.

Mr. Hurd draws on his extensive government background to help clients stay abreast of changes in the law that impact their business and proactively addresses any areas in which regulatory and prosecutorial agencies are focusing their attention.

He has particular experience defending toxic tort, environmental and product liability claims, currently acting as lead counsel to a “big three” oil company in major litigation. He also has defended large pharmaceutical and technology companies in state and federal court cases involving price-fixing and other civil claims.

As a government attorney, Mr. Hurd directed or personally handled tort, environmental, employment discrimination and health care litigation matters, as well as criminal investigations and prosecutions involving mail fraud, money laundering, public corruption, health care fraud, environmental crimes and narcotics trafficking.

Mr. Hurd was the founder of the U.S. Attorney’s Mentoring and At Risk Children programs in the Virgin Islands and was a sailing and sail racing instructor for the Virgin Islands’ “Kids and the Sea” program sponsored by Rotary International. In addition, he has lectured on the topic of battering and child abuse at national conferences throughout the United States and the Virgin Islands and co-authored the Virgin Islands felony child abuse statute.

Mr. Hurd earned a Bachelor of Arts from Howard University (1968) and his J.D. from University of Maryland School of Law (1975).

He is admitted to practice in Texas, the U.S. Virgin Islands and Colorado. He is a member of many organizations and association including the American Bar Association, National Bar Association, National Association of Former United States Attorneys.

He received the Director’s Award for outstanding service as a federal prosecutor, 1990-1991.

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