James P. Barone is a Partner in the Firm’s Corporate Practice Group and handles business-related transactional work at Ferruzzo. He enjoys a close relationship with his clients and frequently meets at their offices to get a better understanding of the business itself.
Embracing his role as counselor and advisor, Jim advises businesses while encompassing a multitude of different areas. Advising businesses encompasses a multitude of different areas; Jim is frequently engaged in the purchasing and sale of businesses, financing, acquisition, and leasing of real estate, and the like. He is often his clients’ “gatekeeper” and the first person called when a legal issue arises. If it is not within his particular area of expertise, Jim calls upon the other respected attorneys at the Firm for their input and advice. Jim advises clients throughout the western United States.
Jim maintains a particularly strong emphasis on representing auto, RV, and motorsports dealerships. He has personally represented clients in an aggregate of over $7 billion in enterprise value transactions. He is an associate member of the California New Car Dealers Association, a full member of the National Association of Dealer Counsel, and a featured speaker at various professional seminars.
Jim attended St. John Fisher University in his hometown, Rochester, New York, where he graduated on the Dean’s List. He then attended Pepperdine Caruso School of Law, where he served as vice-chairman of its Honor Board. Upon graduation, he chose to remain in southern California, and his practice has grown ever since.
In his free time, Jim serves as a member of the Board of Directors of the Margaret Aylward Center, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization based in Los Angeles that strives to meet the needs of the underprivileged in such areas as ESL, counseling services, food and clothing distribution, shelter, etc.
A former amateur trapshooter, he occasionally practices, though not as much as he would like.
