About James Bright

Mr. Bright is a founding partner of Bright and Brown. Mr. Bright has specialized in the representation of major and independent oil and gas companies and utilities from the beginning of his legal career in 1975. Mr. Bright has extensive experience in business litigation matters in the state and federal courts at the trial and appellate levels, including a wide spectrum of business torts and commercial contract disputes.  He has been a lead trial lawyer on a legal team that has secured jury verdicts among the ten largest in California on a number of occasions over the years, including the largest jury verdict and the eighth largest jury verdict in the state during a single year.   Mr. Bright is a Fellow in the American College of Trial Lawyers. Mr. Bright also has significant litigation experience in the environmental area. He regularly represents clients in transactional matters concerning all aspects of oil and gas exploration, production and pipeline transportation. He has in-depth experience in advising clients regarding the purchase and sale of oil and gas properties, gas sales and supply contracts, land use matters and issues arising under various environmental acts.

Mr. Bright received his law degree in 1975 from Loyola University School of Law and his undergraduate degree in Geology from the University of Southern California in 1971. He was a practicing geologist with Southern California Edison Company from 1970-1973, and Manager of Fuel Contracts Preparation for that company from 1974-1975. His industry experience includes the negotiation of major fuel supply (oil, gas, and coal) and refinery processing contracts, the evaluation of domestic and international oil and gas exploration opportunities, and the development of geophysical and geochemical models for geothermal systems. Mr. Bright has a working knowledge of all aspects of the oil and gas industry.