James Carlson
Assistant Director, Career Development Office; Professor of Practice

- Room Number: 142
James Carlson advises Arizona Law students on private sector employment and judicial clerkships, and also serves as the faculty supervisor for private sector and judicial externships. Prior to joining the Career Development Office, James was an associate attorney in the Tucson office of Snell & Wilmer, L.L.P., the largest law firm in Arizona and the western region. As a former commercial litigator at a firm of over 400 attorneys, James offers insight and guidance to students interested in pursuing careers with law firms and other business enterprises. James received his Arizona Law JD in 2016, graduating magna cum laude. While at Arizona Law, James served as a board member on Arizona Law Review, competed nationally with the ABA Appellate Advocacy moot court team, and also won the Jenckes Closing Arguments competition against ASU in November 2015.
Prior to law school, James navigated the Great Recession by working anywhere that was hiring, from loading shipping containers at a junkyard in central Phoenix, to stocking ice cream in a freezer at Wal-Mart. Originally from Prescott, Arizona, James returns during the summer and winter to hike Granite Mountain and spend time in the Prescott National Forest. Although he practiced civil law, James studies criminal procedure, with particular emphasis on the Fourth Amendment.
Education
- J.D, James E. Rogers College of Law
2016
Graduated magna cum laude - B.A. University of Arizona
2009
Graduated magna cum laude
Work Experience
- Assistant Director, Career Development Office
James E. Rogers College of Law
2019 – present - Associate Attorney
Snell & Wilmer, L.L.P., Tucson, Arizona
016 – 2019 - Law Clerk – Criminal Division
Pima County Attorney’s Office, Tucson, Arizona
2014 - Corrections Officer
Pima County Sheriff’s Department, Tucson, Arizona
2012 - Security Analyst & Project Coordinator
VetSec Protection Agency
2011 – 2013