J.D. 2013 cum laude from Thomas Jefferson School of Law in San Diego; B.S. in Biology specializing in Ecology, Evolution, and Environmental Science from Purdue University; B.A. Political Science specializing in Environmental Policy and International Relations from Purdue University.

James Gaffney is a recent law school graduate with experience in environmental law and public interest law. During law school, he interned for the Sierra Club of San Diego and worked to successfully prevent the construction of an unnecessary power plant in Santee. James was also an editor for the Thomas Jefferson Law Review and wrote his Note on CERCLA arguing that the petroleum exclusion is no longer necessary regarding fuel used for transportation. As an undergraduate, he published a study on bird-strikes with airplanes that found that there is a correlation between airplane color and strike frequency, in which darker-colored planes tended to be involved in more bird-strikes than lighter-colored planes.

James currently lives in the Kearny Mesa neighborhood of San Diego and is a registered Patent Agent.