Profile
James R. Lance, Esq. brings more than 38 years of experience as a highly successful and respected trial attorney to ADR Services, Inc. Throughout his career Mr. Lance has represented both plaintiffs and defendants in complex, high-stakes disputes, which gives him a unique perspective on the needs, priorities, and pressures facing each party in litigation. His practice included “bet-the-company” commercial cases, catastrophic personal injury/wrongful death claims, real estate/construction disputes, employment cases, professional liability claims and class actions.
Mr. Lance has secured several seven and eight figure verdicts, judgments, and settlements for his plaintiff clients, and many excellent results for his defense clients on high exposure cases. His track record of success, coupled with his ability to analyze complex facts and legal issues from every angle, informs his fair, balanced, and practical approach to alternative dispute resolution.
Mr. Lance’s peers consistently have recognized his excellence. He was selected as a “Top 50” San Diego Attorney from 2019-2024 and has been a member of the American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA) since 2013. In 2024, the San Diego ABOTA Chapter selected Mr. Lance to be its President. Mr. Lance served on the CAL-ABOTA Board of Directors from 2023-25 and is honored to be the 2025 selection for the CAL-ABOTA member-at-large position. He also is a Board Member of the William B. Enright Chapter of the American Inns of Court and, in August 2025, the EIOC President appointed him to the Executive Committee.
Deeply committed to the legal community and public service, Mr. Lance has mentored countless young lawyers and students. He also coached youth football and baseball for more than 15 years. Since 2020, Mr. Lance has spearheaded a program at an underserved high school in Southeast San Diego which provides on-campus speakers who encourage students to actively pursue their education/career goals and assure them they can overcome hurdles and negativity. The program also assists students with internships and sponsors oral argument competitions at the school. His decades of advocacy, leadership, and mentorship now fuel Mr. Lance’s dedication to helping parties resolve their disputes efficiently and effectively.
AREAS OF EXPERTISE
- Complex Commercial
- Products Liability
- Class Action
- Real Estate
- Investment/ Securities Claims
- Personal Injury/Wrongful Death
- Partnership/ Shareholder Disputes
- Legal Malpractice
- Jones Act/Maritime
- Unfair Competition
- Wildfire Claims
- Medical Malpractice
Education
- Washington & Lee University, J.D., magna cum laude, 1986
- Missouri State University, B.S., summa cum laude, 1983
Legal Career & Prior Experience
- Neutral, ADR Services, Inc.
- Mediator, San Diego Superior Court Civil Mediation Panel
- Pepperdine University-Straus Institute: Mediating the Litigated Case (August 22-26, 2022)
- Trial Attorney, Noonan Lance (2016-2025)
- Trial Attorney, Kirby Noonan, Lance & Hoge (2006-2016)
- Trial Attorney, Post Kirby Noonan & Sweat (1990-2006)
- Litigation Associate, Thompson & Mitchell (pka Thompson Coburn), St. Louis, MO (1986-1989)
Awards & Recognition
- America’s Top 100 Bet-the-Company Litigators, 2020-2025
- Top 50 Southern California Super Lawyers – San Diego Edition, 2019-2024
- Business Litigation, Super Lawyers, 2007-2010, 2013-2025
- Commercial Litigation, Best Lawyers, 2013-2026
- Real Estate Litigation, Best Lawyers, 2019-2026
- Legal Malpractice Law – Defendants, Best Lawyers, 2020, 2023-2026
- Construction Litigation Lawyer of the Year, Best Lawyers, 2021
- Construction Litigation, Best Lawyers, 2021-2026
- “Best Wrongful Death Lawyers in San Diego,” Forbes Advisor, 2024
- “Top Rated Lawyers in Real Estate Law,” American Lawyer Media, 2012, 2015
- “Best of the Bar,” San Diego Business Journal, 2015, 2016
- “Top Attorney: Corporate Litigation,” San Diego Daily Transcript, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2013
- “Top Influential,” The San Diego Daily Transcript, 2011, 2015
- “Top Lawyer” San Diego Magazine, 2014-2018, 2025
Professional Memberships and Activities
- American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA), 2013-Present
President of San Diego Chapter (2024)
Vice-President (2023); Treasurer (2022); Secretary (2021); Board Member (2020)
Membership Committee (2015-2018)
- CAL-ABOTA, (Leadership Organization for 8 California & Hawaii ABOTA Chapters)
Board of Directors Representative for San Diego Chapter (2023-2025)
2025 Selection for CAL-ABOTA Member-at-Large Position on Board of Directors
- Consumer Attorneys of San Diego, (CASD) (1996-2008, 2024-2025)
Products Liability Articles Editor – Trial Bar News (1999-2006)
- William B. Enright Chapter, American Inns of Court, (2015-2025)
Board Member (2024-Present)
Secretary/Executive Committee, 2025-2027
- Association of Business Trial Lawyers (ABTL), (2000-2018)
Board of Governors (2011-2012)
