Yance Law Firm, LLC
Yance Law Firm, LLC

Of Counsel

James A. Yance

YanceIMG_9130crmed.jpg

Education

UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA SCHOOL OF LAW
Juris Doctor, 1973

UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH ALABAMA
1970

Admissions

  • Alabama Supreme Court/All Alabama Courts/Alabama Bar Association

  • United States District Court for the Middle District of Alabama, 2001

  • United States District Court for the Southern District of Alabama, 2001

Activities & Affiliations

  • Alabama State Bar Association, Member

  • Mobile County Bar Association, Member

  • Alabama Association for Justice, Member

  • National Trial Lawyers, Member

 
 
 
 
 

James A. Yance, Retired/Of Counsel
Jim Yance graduated from the University of South Alabama in 1970 and went on to attend the University of  Alabama School of Law, where he received his Juris Doctorate degree in 1973. He entered private practice with the firm of Cunningham, Bounds and Byrd, which later became Cunningham, Bounds, Yance, Crowder and Brown, and remained with the firm for 30 years of his legal career. In January 2004, Mr. Yance assumed “of counsel” status with Cunningham, Bounds. In 2009, with a desire to take an active role in a limited number of cases and to practice law at the firm started by his son Tucker two years earlier, he assumed “of counsel” status with Yance Law Firm.  Around 2015, Mr. Yance fully retired from the practice of law.   

During his distinguished legal career, Mr. Yance's practice has primarily focused on actions involving product liability, medical malpractice, consumer fraud, industrial accidents, and more recently, class action litigation. He has acted as lead counsel and co-lead counsel in numerous cases involving product liability and medical malpractice, achieving record-setting verdicts in the State of Alabama. He has also served as co-lead class counsel in several national class action cases.

  • Mr. Yance has served his community and state in many civic and charitable activities including:

  • Board of Directors, State of Alabama Forever Wild Land Trust

  • Vice Chairman, Board of Trustees University of South Alabama

  • Board of Directors, University of Alabama Law School Foundation

  • Chairman, University of Alabama Law School Farrah Law Society

  • Chairman of the Board, Alabama Trial Lawyers for Children

  • Board of Directors, Corporate Foundation for Children

  • Board of Directors, Boys and Girls Clubs of Southwest Alabama

  • Board of Directors, Moorer YMCA

  • Chairman of the Board of Directors, Mobile Metropolitan YMCA

  • Board of Directors, Alabama Wildlife Federation

Mr. Yance currently lives near Malbis with his wife, Frances. He has been a lifelong resident of Mobile and Baldwin Counties, where he has coached youth sports throughout the years for his four children, Jimbo, Tucker, Bill, and Berkley, who are now adults. Mr. Yance and his family are all avid sportsmen and enjoy a number of outdoor sports and activities together.

Memberships and Affiliations

In 1975 Mr. Yance was appointed to the Executive Committee of the Alabama Trial Lawyers Association and became one of the youngest Presidents in the history of the organization in 1982 at the age of 35. In 1983 he was elected to the Board of Governors of the Association of Trial Lawyers of America. He was inducted into the International Academy of Trial Lawyers in 1985 (with membership limited to only 500 lawyers in the world) at the age of 39. He was selected as an Advocate by the American Board of Trial Advocates in 1992 and is also a fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers. In 1995 he was certified by the National Board of Trial Advocacy as a Civil Trial Specialist. He served as President of the Mobile Bar Association in 2004. He has been listed in the national publication The Best Lawyers in America for many years and Chambers USA: America's Leading Lawyers for Business.Justice Foundation.