Jim Braze is a Partner in the Bakersfield office of Borton Petrini, LLP. Jim is AV® Preeminent™ 5.0 out of 5 Rated by Martindale-Hubbell and has tried over thirty significant jury trials to verdict representing some of the largest Fortune 500 companies.
Jim received his bachelor and master degrees in engineering from the University of Southern California and University of Alaska in 1968 and 1971, respectively. He became a licensed professional engineer in mechanical engineering in California in 1973 and spent ten years employed as an engineer for two of the world’s largest oil companies. While employed as an engineer with Exxon, he was a member of the Frontier Area Task Force, which was charged with analyzing and evaluating the development potential of yet to be discovered oil fields in the Gulf of Alaska, Bering Sea, North Slope and the Santa Barbara Channel.
In 1977, he received his law degree from Loyola Law School, was admitted to practice law in California, and joined Borton Petrini, LLP in Bakersfield focusing on business litigation and product liability matters, including condemnation and public entity.
In 1980, Jim was admitted to practice before the United States Patent and Trademark Office and prosecuted patent applications. He also handles litigation relating to patent infringement and trademark violations.
Jim obtained his masters of law degree in taxation from the Golden Gate University School of Law in 1997 where he focused on business taxation, mergers and acquisitions, and tax controversy litigation. He is admitted to practice before the United States Tax Court and handles tax controversy matters and IRS audits and disputes.
Jim is one of less than twenty attorneys in California to try an elder abuse case to verdict. He has defended health care providers including doctors, nurses, skilled nursing facilities and residential care facilities against claims of malpractice and elder abuse.
Other areas of his practice have included the litigation and trial of insurance coverage and bad faith disputes, and construction-related litigation. He has tried over ten insurance "bad faith" cases to jury verdict involving first-party claims, and has represented crane and rigging companies in several major personal injury and wrongful death actions.