James Demsey graduated from Boalt Hall (UC, Berkeley) in 1964, and he joined the firm after taking the California Bar exam. He was admitted to practice in January, 1965. He became a partner of the firm in 1968.

Mr. Demsey is a business and transactional lawyer, devoting most of his time to real estate, income tax, estate planning, and corporate projects. He also has done extensive representation of clients with ad valorem, sales and use tax problems. In this connection, Mr. Demsey has represented several large companies such as Foster Farms, PPG Industries, IBM, and many individual property and business owners.

Mr. Demsey's real estate projects have included extensive work on agricultural loans for Metropolitan Life Insurance Company. He has also negotiated and documented numerous complex tax deferred exchange transactions for his clients.

Mr. Demsey has also represented numerous corporate clients regarding tax reorganizations, corporate securities, and acquisition and sales of assets. These clients have included the Rudy Facciani Company, Metropolitan Life Insurance Company and numerous closely held corporations. Mr. Demsey also has expertise in handling transactions involving the acquisition, financing, and operation of aircraft.