Jim graduated with honors in economics from the University of California at Davis, and magna cum laude from the University of San Diego School of Law. He handles consumer and employee protection class actions.

Favorite Hobbies: Fishing and Fantasy Football
If I Was Not A Lawyer I Would: Be a teacher
Favorite City: San Francisco
Vacation: Maui
Favorite TV Show: Modern Family

Jim is the founder of Patterson Law Group, APC.  Prior to founding the firm, he spent 6 years with the prestigious national law firm of Cooley Godward LLP, and 6 years with Harrison Patterson & O'Connor LLP.  He has been consistently recognized as a leader in both consumer and employee class actions by the media, legislators, and courts throughout the country.  Jim has been appointed lead or co-lead counsel in more than 50 state and federal class actions, and has obtained hundreds of millions of dollars in benefits for his clients and class members.  He is known as an innovator that will fight the tough fights.  For example, Jim was co-lead counsel in the seminal case, Pineda v. Williams-Sonoma Stores, Inc., which changed the prevailing law, and the entire retail industry in California by prohibiting retailers from collecting unnecessary personal identification information from credit card customers.  As a result of his success, Jim has been asked to speak at numerous consumer and privacy related conferences, and comment on proposed legislation concerning consumer privacy rights in California.

Jim's training and experience at Cooley, a large national defense firm, provides him with a unique perspective on the inner-workings and decision-making processes of large corporations.  His immense experience on the plaintiffs' side has rounded him into a multi-dimensional and dynamic class action attorney.  Jim is a graduate of the University of California at Davis, and the University of San Diego School of Law, where he finished in the top 1% of his class and was a member of Law Review.  He grew up in the Bay Area and currently resides with his wife and two children in San Diego, California.

Representative Consumer Cases

• Lead Counsel in over 50 class action cases, including three trials, challenging retailers' practice of collecting and recording unnecessary personal identification information during credit card transactions, resulting in hundreds of millions of dollars in benefits to clients.
• Co-lead Trial Counsel in Hernandez v. Restoration Hardare, obtaining $36 million verdict for class following trial.
• Co-lead Trial Counsel in Andersen v. Burlington Coat Factory, obtaining $30 million settlement for the class after trial.
• Co-lead Counsel in the seminal Supreme Court decision, Pineda v. Williams-Sonoma Stores, Inc. (2011) 51 Cal.4th 524, in which the California Supreme Court overturned two prior appellate court decisions and held that consumers' zip codes are "personal identification information" that retailers are prohibited from collecting during credit card transactions.
• Lead Counsel in Powers v. Pottery Barn, Inc. (2009) 177 Cal.App.4th 1039, in which the Fourth District Court of Appeal reversed the trial court and found that the Song-Beverly Credit Card Act was not preempted by the Controlling the Assault of Non-Solicited Pornography and Marketing Act of 2003.
• Lead Counsel in numerous federal class actions challenging the deceptive online practice of enrolling consumers into savings and rewards programs without their knowledge or consent.
• Co-lead counsel in national class actions alleging unlawful suspension of home equity lines of credit by national banks.
• Counsel in national class action alleging Wells Fargo Bank failed to modify home loans as required by federal law.
• Counsel in national class actions alleging Union Bank and Bank of the West charged consumers unlawful overdraft fees.
• Counsel in numerous national class actions alleging large-scale data breaches.
• Counsel in national class action alleging false advertising.
• Lead Counsel in national class actions alleging violations of the Telephone Consumer Protection Act

Representative Employee Class Actions

• Lead Counsel for a class of limousine drivers that were denied breaks, overtime pay, and reimbursement.
• Lead Counsel for class of assembly line workers that were denied breaks and were not paid for all time worked, resulting in approximately $1 million of benefits to the class.
• Lead Counsel for class of US Bank employees that were not paid for unused vacation time, resulting in approximately $2 million in benefits.
• Co-Lead Counsel for class of pharmacists that did not receive lawful breaks and overtime, resulting in $10 million settlement.