James L. DeFeo
Contact
Education
- University of Akron School of Law (J.D. 2005, valedictorian)
- University of Dayton (B.S.)
Jim DeFeo joined the firm in 2021, bringing with him over ten years’ experience representing businesses in complex commercial and business disputes. His experience includes representation at all phases of the dispute resolution process, from pre-litigation to trial and appeal. He has successfully represented clients in a wide variety of claims including breach of contract, securities and consumer class actions, disputes regarding earn-out provisions in merger and acquisition documents, and in the recovery of millions of dollars in connection with claims of racketeering and mortgage fraud.
Jim also has over five years’ experience as in-house legal counsel for a publicly-traded multi-billion dollar global business, in which he served as primary legal support for various commercial business divisions, as well as the company’s global information technology, procurement, logistics, and real estate functions. Jim has experience providing legal support for the company’s information governance program, where he assisted the company in navigating various changes in global privacy laws, including the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation. He also has extensive experience negotiating and drafting a variety of business agreements including commercial contracts, software license and SaaS agreements, professional service agreements, and data processing agreements.
Jim is an active member in the Cleveland community. He currently serves as a member and president of the board of trustees for The Arc of Greater Cleveland, and has volunteered as an adult tutor for the Seeds of Literacy program.
