Bet-the-Company Litigation Criminal Defense: General Practice Appellate Practice Criminal Defense: White-Collar
*Named the "Lawyer of the Year" in this practice area in the 2026 edition in Tampa.
James E. Felman
Recognized in Best Lawyers since 2001 Awarded Practice Areas
Biography
James E. Felman has concentrated his practice of law in the defense of complex criminal matters and related civil litigation for over 30 years. Mr. Felman represents clients in federal and state matters in every phase of the criminal process -- investigation, trial, sentencing, appeal, and post-conviction proceedings. He has represented clients in a wide range of matters, including allegations of bank fraud, health care fraud, mail and wire fraud, securities fraud, public corruption, environmental crimes, antitrust violations, synthetic/illegal drugs, illegal gambling, child abuse/ pornography, and murder.
Mr. Felman has also devoted a significant portion of his professional efforts to legal reform and policy work. He has testified on an array of topics before the United States Senate, House of Representatives, and Sentencing Commission, and frequently writes and speaks on criminal justice policy issues. He currently serves as a member of the Board of Directors of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers and serves as Chair of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers Task Force on First Step Act Implementation. He also serves as Chair of the American Bar Association Criminal Justice Section’s Task Force on First Step Act Implementation. He is a Past Chair of the Criminal Justice Section of the American Bar Association and is the ABA’s Past Liaison to the United States Sentencing Commission. He was a founding member of the Steering Committee of Clemency Project 2014 and is former Co-Chair of the Practitioners’ Advisory Group to the United States Sentencing Commission.
Mr. Felman is a graduate of Wake Forest University, B.A. cum laude, 1984, and Duke University, M.A. Phil. and J.D. with high honors (Order of the Coif), 1987. Following law school, he was a law clerk to Judge Theodore McMillian of the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit.
Overview
- English
- Italian
- Duke University, JD, graduated 1987
- Duke University, MA Phil., graduated 1987
- Wake Forest University, BA, graduated 1984
- Florida, The Florida Bar, 1988
- ABA - Co-Chair, Sentencing Committee
- United States District Court, Eastern and Western Districts of Arkansas
- United States Supreme Court
- United States Court of Appeals, Second, Fourth, Fifth, Sixth, Eighth, Ninth and Eleventh Circuits
- United States District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin
- United States District Court, Middle, Northern and Southern Districts of Florida
- United States Court of Appeals
- English
- Italian
- Florida, The Florida Bar, 1988
- ABA - Co-Chair, Sentencing Committee
- Duke University, JD, graduated 1987
- Duke University, MA Phil., graduated 1987
- Wake Forest University, BA, graduated 1984
- United States District Court, Eastern and Western Districts of Arkansas
- United States Supreme Court
- United States Court of Appeals, Second, Fourth, Fifth, Sixth, Eighth, Ninth and Eleventh Circuits
- United States District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin
- United States District Court, Middle, Northern and Southern Districts of Florida
- United States Court of Appeals
Client Testimonials
Awards & Focus
Named "Lawyer of the Year" by Best Lawyers® for:
- Bet-the-Company Litigation, Tampa (2026)
- Criminal Defense: General Practice, Tampa (2026)
- Criminal Defense: White-Collar, Tampa (2025)
- Criminal Defense: General Practice, Tampa (2024)
- Criminal Defense: White-Collar, Tampa (2023)
- Criminal Defense: General Practice, Tampa (2021)
- Criminal Defense: White-Collar, Tampa (2018)
- Criminal Defense: White-Collar, Tampa (2015)
- Appellate Practice, Tampa (2014)
- Criminal Defense: General Practice, Tampa (2012)
- Criminal Defense: White-Collar, Tampa (2011)
Recognized in The Best Lawyers in America® 2026 for work in:
- Appellate Practice
- Bet-the-Company Litigation
- Criminal Defense: General Practice
- Criminal Defense: White-Collar
Special Focus:
- Appellate
- COVID-19
- Criminal Appeals
- Criminal Investigations
- Drug Offenses
- Grand Jury
- State and Federal
- Vehicular Manslaughter
- Violent and Nonviolent Crimes
Awards:
Recipient of the 2025 Hillsborough County Bar Association’s Trial and Litigation Section Herbert G. Goldburg award, the highest award given by the section, recognizing his fairness, integrity, courtesy, zeal, forensic skill, legal acumen, good sense, and respect for fellow lawyers during his career
Recipient of the 2023 NACDL President’s commendation for his extraordinary contributions to the mission, beliefs, and goals of the association
2023 Florida Bar Criminal Law Section Selig Goldin Award for significant contribution to the criminal justice system of the State of Florida
- Marcelino "Bubba" Huerta III Award for Pro Bono Service and the Pursuit of Equal Justice
- George C. Carr Memorial Award for Excellance in Federal Practice
News & Media
Additional Information
- Presentations
The American Bar Association, Criminal Justice Section, 40th Annual White Collar Crime Institute, SKILLS – Trial Practice Fundamentals I – Effective Trial Techniques Plenary, Moderator, March 5, 2025, Miami, FL
The American Bar Association, Criminal Justice Section, 40th Annual White Collar Crime Institute, Sentencing: Effective Mitigation in White-Collar Cases, March 5, 2025, Miami, FL
The American Bar Association, Criminal Justice Section, Annual Southeastern White Collar Crime Institute, National and International White Collar Crime Institutes Plenary, September 4-6, 2024, Braselton, GA
The Tampa Bay Chapter of the Federal Bar Association, The Federal Sentencing Guidelines Seminar, Update on Federal Sentencing Law & Policy Plenary Session, Moderator, August 7-9, 2024, Orlando, FL
The Appellate Practice Sections of the State Bars of Alabama, Florida and Georgia, Eleventh Circuit Appellate Practice Institute, Ethical Dilemmas Facing the Appellate Practitioner, October 19-20, 2023, Tampa, FL
The American Bar Association, Criminal Justice Section, The JustPod Series, White Collar Crime Talks: Jim Felman- Sentencing Guidelines, https://www.buzzsprout.com/252350/13672739, September 27, 2023
The Tampa Bay Chapter of the Federal Bar Association, The Federal Sentencing Guidelines Seminar, Update on Federal Sentencing Law & Policy Plenary Session, Moderator, May 31-June 2, 2023, Orlando, FL
The American Bar Association, Criminal Justice Section, Annual National Institute on White Collar Crime, Update on Sentencing and Corrections Law and Policy, Moderator, March 1, 2023, Miami, FL
American Constitution Society Florida: The Future of Sentencing: A Look at the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, June 21, 2021, Webinar
The American Bar Association, Criminal Justice Section, 33rd Annual National Institute on White Collar Crime, Sentencing and Its Collateral Consequences, Moderator, March 6-8, 2019, New Orleans, LA
Stetson University College of Law, American Law Institute Luncheon, American Law Institute Sentencing Project, February 8, 2019, Tampa, FL
The National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers Advanced Criminal Law Seminar Conference, Defending Analogue Cases, January 20-23, 2019, Aspen, CO
The National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers West Coast White Collar Conference, Strategies for Eliminating Implicit Bias at Sentencing Panel, June 20-22, 2018, Santa Monica, CA
The American Bar Association, Criminal Justice Section, White Collar Crime National Institute, Sentencing, Prison Designations & Post-Sentencing remedies, Moderator, February 28-March, 2, 2018, San Diego, CA
The American Bar Association, Criminal Justice Section and the National District Attorneys Association, The Impact of Commutations, Clemency, Expungements and Pardons on Public Perception, January 22, 2018, Washington, DC
The National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, Thirteenth Annual White Collar Seminar, Defending the White Collar Case: In & Out of Court, Sentencing: A View from the Bench Plenary Session, Moderator, September 14-15, 2017, Washington, DC
The International Society for the Reform of Criminal Law, 30th International Conference, White Collar Crime Sentencing Issues Plenary, Moderator, and The Admission of Forensic Evidence: Reliable, Valid or Junk? Plenary, July 9-13, 2017, San Francisco, CA.
The Tampa Bay Chapter of the Federal Bar Association, The Federal Sentencing Guidelines Seminar, Update on Federal Sentencing Law & Policy Plenary Session, Moderator, June 28-30, 2017, St. Petersburg, FL
The Office of the Federal Public Defender for the Middle District of Florida, Federal Criminal Practice Seminar, Litigating Synthetic Drug Cases, April 6, 2017, Orlando, FL
The National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers White Collar Criminal Defense College, Stetson University College of Law, Cross Examination Interactive Breakout and Panel on Sentencing, Prison Preparation and Collateral Consequences, Moderator, March 18-19, 2017, Gulfport, FL
The Edward Bennett Williams Inn of Court, Disparities in Sentencing panel, January 12, 2017, Washington, DC
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