Legal official retires at DOE Oak Ridge Office

Robert James, the assistant chief counsel for the U.S. Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge Office, has retired after 25 years of federal service.

James served as the assistant chief counsel since 2009. In this position, he led a team of attorneys that are responsible for legal representation on environmental, regulatory, health and safety, real estate, and security matters across the Oak Ridge Reservation, a press release said. His team also provides legal representation for Nuclear Energy missions in Oak Ridge; Paducah, Ky.; and Portsmouth, Ohio.

“Rob’s extensive knowledge and experience in environmental law have been a tremendous asset to the Oak Ridge Office and those it services,” said Larry Kelly, manager of DOE-ORO. “His insight and recommendations aided our leadership teams in making the most informed and prudent decisions.”

Since 2004, James has worked as an attorney at DOE-ORO, providing guidance on an array of legal issues, but he focused primarily on environmental compliance, the release said. From 2000-2004, he worked for Bechtel Jacobs Company LLC in Oak Ridge as an environmental attorney. James previously worked for DOE-ORO from 1995-2000 in the Litigation Branch of the Office of Chief Counsel.

Before arriving in Oak Ridge, he practiced environmental law with the law firm Hunton and Williams in Atlanta from 1992-1995, and he served as an attorney from 1987-1992 with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in Atlanta.

James holds B.A. and J.D. degrees from the University of South Carolina. He also has an M.A. degree from Furman University in South Carolina, and an M.S. from the University of Tennessee in Knoxville. Prior to attending law school, James spent five years in the U.S. Air Force. He is a current member of the Tennessee Bar Association and past member of the Georgia Bar Association.

James and his wife, Barbara, have two sons, Bryan and Evan.