About
A practice focused on clients with serious criminal and post conviction cases.
I have the experience and dedication to get results.
I left government service and started this law firm to fill a gap. Maryland has some excellent - and very expensive criminal - defense lawyers, but for most people facing a criminal offense or in prison and trying to win release, high quality lawyering is unaffordable. I hope to change that with this firm - by offering outstanding service, aggressive and talented courtroom representation, and high-quality work at a fair price. I keep my overhead low so I can focus on what matters most to me: taking the time to get the absolute best outcome for my clients and building a practice where each client gets personal attention.
I led several major projects while at the Office of the Public Defender, including standing up Baltimore City’s award-winning youth-charged-as-adults specialty defense team and establishing the Youth Re-Sentencing Project, housed within the Collateral Review/Post Conviction Defenders Division, where I organized and led the response to the Miller/Graham/Montgomery decisions and successfully handled life without parole and life with parole cases for dozens of clients. I’ve been asked to speak to college, graduate school, and law students across the region and presented at local, regional, and national conferences; I’ve also been tapped to train judges on issues related to transfer and waiver of jurisdiction and served as a long-time lecturer for new public defenders on topics ranging from preliminary hearings to sentencing. I helped author the national guidelines for defending children facing a life sentence and the best practices for representing children in adult cases.
I am a past president of the Maryland Criminal Defense Attorneys Association, the state’s criminal defense specialty bar association, and former Vice-Chair of the Maryland State Bar Association’s Correctional Reform Section.
Get in touch
Can we work together to help you or your loved on? The easiest way to find out is to call now!
My phone number is 410-824-1427.
Click here to book a free initial consult by phone or video.
Attorneys
OWNER
James A. Johnston
Education
TULANE LAW SCHOOL
Juris Doctor, 2002
DICKINSON COLLEGE
B.A., History and German, 1999
Activities & Affiliations
• Former President, Maryland Criminal Defense Attorneys Association
• Member, Criminal Law Section, Correctional Reform Section, Maryland State Bar Association
• Members, National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers
Bar Admissions
• Maryland