James Melendres

Practice Areas

James Melendres co-chairs the Investigations, Government Enforcement and White Collar Protection practice and Cybersecurity, Data Protection and Privacy practice. He regularly conducts internal investigations and represents companies in a wide variety of matters relating to federal and state criminal, civil and regulatory enforcement. James also advises companies regarding the full life cycle of enterprise risks associated with cybersecurity, including before, during and after a data breach or other cyber-attack.

James further assists clients in developing and implementing crisis management and public relations strategies. He has appeared on CBS, CNBC and MSNBC and been quoted in The Wall Street Journal and Bloomberg, among other publications.

Prior to joining Snell & Wilmer, James served as a federal prosecutor and led high-profile and complex matters, including the prosecutions of former Central Intelligence Agency Director David Petraeus and the leader of the Tijuana Cartel. He also served in the leadership offices at the Department of Justice in Washington, D.C., and in his role as counsel to the Assistant Attorney General for National Security, James helped manage the DOJ National Security Division and counseled senior DOJ officials on a wide variety of matters - from high-profile cyber investigations and related litigation to the strategic use of trade sanctions to counter cyber-related national security threats.

Publications

''The Department of Justice Offers Individual Corporate Wrongdoers a “Get Out of Jail Free Card” in New Voluntary Self-Disclosure Program,'' Co-Author, Snell & Wilmer Legal Alert (May 9, 2024)

''The Department of Justice Is Building a Data Security Protection and Enforcement Program,'' Co-Author, Snell & Wilmer Legal Alert (April 15, 2024)

''Department of Justice Announces Groundbreaking Whistleblower Program in its Ongoing Effort to Incentivize Voluntary Self Disclosures,'' Co-Author, Snell & Wilmer Legal Alert (March 7, 2024)

"European Commission Adopts Adequacy Decision for Transatlantic Data Privacy Framework," Co-Author, Snell & Wilmer Legal Alert (July 12, 2023)

"2023 National Cybersecurity Strategy: Businesses Are Asked To Bear More of the Burden," Co-Author, Snell & Wilmer Legal Alert (May 3, 2023)

"DOJ Incentivizes Voluntary Self-Disclosure of Corporate Criminal Misconduct in Policy Directive to U.S. Attorneys’ Offices Nationwide," Co-Author, Snell & Wilmer Legal Alert (March 6, 2023)

"DOJ Revisits its Corporate Criminal Enforcement Policy Offering Companies Additional Incentives to Self-Disclose, Cooperate, and Remediate," Co-Author, Snell & Wilmer Legal Alert (January 24, 2023)

"The European Union Opens 'Tech Embassy' in Silicon Valley Ahead of New Technology Regulations," Co-Author, Snell & Wilmer Legal Alert (August 31, 2022)

"Supreme Court Narrows Scope of the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act," Co-Author, Snell & Wilmer Legal Alert (June 3, 2021)

"White House Issues Executive Order on Improving Nation’s Cybersecurity," Co-Author, Snell & Wilmer Legal Alert (May 21, 2021)

"Go With the Flow: Developments in Cross-Border Data Flows Following Schrems II and the Release of New Draft International Standard Contractual Clauses," Co-Author, Snell & Wilmer Global Connection Newsletter (March 15, 2021)

"New Year, New Laws – Congress Passes Major Anti-Money Laundering Act," Co-Author, Snell & Wilmer Legal Alert (January 15, 2021)

"Federal Financial Regulators Propose Rule Accelerating Cyber Threat Reporting Requirements," Co-Author, Snell & Wilmer Legal Alert (January 13, 2021)

"In Liu v. SEC, Supreme Court Upholds – But Limits – SEC's Ability to Obtain Disgorgement, Leaving Many Questions for Lower Courts to Decide," Co-Author, Snell & Wilmer Legal Alert (June 25, 2020)

"Paycheck Protection Program Enforcement Actions Begin: DOJ Charges Two Men for Defrauding Federal Government Under the CARES Act," Co-Author, Snell & Wilmer Legal Alert (May 11, 2020)

"Hospital and Healthcare Company Ransomware Attacks Increasing During COVID-19 Pandemic," Co-Author, Snell & Wilmer Legal Alert (April 8, 2020)

"ABA Recent Developments in Business and Corporate Litigation, Criminal and Enforcement Litigation," (2017-2018)

"Breaking Down the DOJ's Enforcement and Corporate Leniency Policies," Co-Author, Denver Business Journal (June 11, 2018)

"Handling Cyber Threats: Ransomware," Co-Author, Orange County Business Journal (August 28, 2017)