About Echion CLE
About the organization
Echion CLE grew from a felt need for a forum for the communication of new ideas, information and insights about law, the legal system and the practice of law. It was formed to supplement the continuing legal education experience of attorneys, ADR neutrals, and other professionals working in the field of law.
Echion CLE is committed to providing timely, useful information and ideas in a truly diverse and inclusive way. We do not shy away from controversial topics. We are not, however, a forum for the communication of misleading, false, or unsupported ideas and information. We place a high premium on both practical value and accuracy.
About Tom James attorney-founder
Cokato, Minnesota attorney Tom James (or more formidably, Thomas James; or even more formidably, Thomas B. James) has been an attorney in private practice at the Law Office of Tom James since 1995. He is also a trained arbitrator and mediator. At one time, he served on the Dispute Settlement Board in Milwaukee Wisconsin. Before then, he was a court deputy. A long-time volunteer with Central Minnesota Legal Services, he currently contributes his pro bono hours to low-income clients and fledgling nonprofits primarily through LegalCORPS. He also has TEFL/TESOL/TBE (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages, including Business English) certification.
Tom is a graduate of the University of California - Berkeley and Southwestern University, and a recipient of the American Jurisprudence Award for Legal Scholarship. He is admitted to practice law in Minnesota, the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals, the Federal Circuit Court of Appeals, and the United States Supreme Court. Originally a general practitioner with a focus on family law, he has since transitioned to business law. Most of his work today involves trademarks, copyrights, and appeals.
Books :
- E-Commerce Law: The Legal Compliance Handbook for Online Businesses
- Website Law
- The History of Custody Law
- Domestic Violence: The 12 Things You Aren't Supposed to Know (out of print)
Law review articles:
- “Overruling Rostker v. Goldberg: Toward an Equal Obligation to Register for Selective Service,” Nebraska Law Review (May, 2021)
- “Sales and Use Tax Nexus: The Way Forward for Legislation,” Mitchell-Hamline Law Journal of Public Policy & Practice, vol. 41, no. 1 (2020)
- “Assisted Reproduction: Reforming State Statutes After Obergefell v. Hodges and Pavan v. Smith,” University of Maryland Law Journal of Race, Religion, Gender & Class, vol. 19 (2020)
- “Protecting Copyrights in Professional and Academic Writing,” LinkedIn.com (2020)
- “Copyright Enforcement: Time to Abolish the Pre-Litigation Registration Requirement,” Illinois Law Review (Fall, 2019)
- “E-Commerce Sales Taxes: What Your Online Business Needs to Know,” AllBusiness.com (June 17, 2019)
- “Use Tax Nexus: The Illusory Utility of Volume Thresholds,” Tax Notes – State (April 29, 2019)