Mediation Expertise Areas: General Civil

Registered Neutral since 2023 with Georgia Office of Dispute Resolution

Kevin is a native of Port Charlotte, Florida. He Attended Florida Gulf Coast University in Fort Myers, Florida where he obtained a Bachelor’s Degree in Legal Studies with an emphasis in Political Science. He then attended Stetson University where he obtained his Juris Doctorate.

After graduating from law school, Kevin began his legal career in Columbus, Georgia where he lived while his wife was in the military and stationed at Fort Benning. Upon moving to the Atlanta area, Kevin practiced with a well known Plaintiff’s personal Injury Firm where he gained extensive first chair jury trial experience. Kevin joined Groth, Makarenko, Eidex and Kaiser in 2020 where his practice focuses on auto and premises liability defense.  He was then promoted Partner in November of 2023. Kevin is licensed in the State Courts of Florida and Georgia.

Kevin resides in Stone Mountain, Georgia with his wife and three children. In his spare time, he enjoys watching sports and spending time with his family.

Affiliations:

Georgia Defense Lawyers Association

Get to Know – Kevin A. James

A man on the move. It may be the best way to describe Kevin James. A family man. A sportsman. A workout warrior. An outdoorsman. A philomath. And that does not even get into his successful practice at Groth, Makarenko, Kaiser and Eidex. 

Though he was born in Chicago, Kevin calls Florida his home state. Growing up in the Fort Myers area gave him a love for the outdoors, beaches and all that South Florida has to offer; and though not overly involved in any one thing growing up, he was always on the go. “I was just a regular kid, always looking to find something to do.”

After completing his associates degree at close by Edison State Community College (now Florida SouthWestern State College), Kevin headed to Ft. Myers where he enrolled at Florida Gulf Coast University. A marketing major originally, Kevin took some pre-law classes he really enjoyed. Classes turned to conversations and conversations turned into work experiences and before he knew it, he was headed to Stetson College of Law in Gulfport, FL where he kept on moving. It was in his 2 ^nd year there that an alternative dispute resolution class really got his attention, something stayed on his mind. 

As many do, Kevin looked into different areas of law while also completing internships, clerk jobs, working in medical records and anything else to gain experience. It was through this non-stop investigating that Kevin finally settled in on the plaintiff’s side of personal injury where he quickly found success. 4 years later he was being recruited to the defense side by GMKE Partner Joseph A. Kaiser. “I enjoyed the plaintiffs side of personal injury, but I knew that experience on the defense side would make me a better attorney overall. Being able to approach cases from the other side was something I definitely wanted to do.”

Searching the headlines returns several results for victories Kevin has won while on the team at Groth, Makarenko, Kaiser and Eidex, but the itch to be involved in more mediations was still there. “Mediation was something I was interested in from time I took that first ADR class. Leaving a decision in the hands of a jury is such a gamble, you never know what they will latch on to or what the outcome will be, even when you feel you have a really strong case.” When the opportunity to become a registered neutral and join Sugarloaf ADR arose, he did not hesitate. 

When he is not working to win another case, you can probably find him doing something with his family. A father of 3, days at the office can be a time to slow down. Gymnastics, basketball, playing catch, working out, boxing or anything with sports; always something to do. His wife Jessica, who served 7 years in the Army, keeps him on the move as well. “I am a family man. I love doing anything active and outdoors with my family. We all love to be on the go and we usually are.”

Though Kevin would love to be back on the beach, looking at the Gulf, listening to his 90’s R&B, he is happy keeping up with all he has going on in Stone Mountain. Joining Sugarloaf ADR gives him one more thing to stay busy, but busy is what he loves. “My experience on both the plaintiffs and defense side gives me great perspective as a neutral. I’m active in my cases, always looking to turn over another rock that will answer another question. I will use that same energy to help move everyone toward a solution that makes sense.”

Movement. That is Kevin’s MO. And that movement will help bring your case to resolution.