James D. (Jim) Slear is Of Counsel in the Washington D.C. office of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher.  Prior to joining Gibson Dunn in August 2000, Mr. Slear was a Judge Advocate for the Department of the Air Force.  During his military career, Mr. Slear became an accomplished trial lawyer, serving as lead counsel in more than 60 litigated trials.   He held positions as the Air Force's Chief Trial Counsel in Asia and as a Federal Court Trial Attorney for the Air Force's Commercial Litigation Division, with which he is still affiliated as a Lieutenant Colonel in the Air Force Reserves.  In this latter capacity, Mr. Slear developed expertise in surety litigation, contractor bankruptcy, debarment and suspension of government contractors, and sovereign immunity issues.

Since joining Gibson Dunn, Mr. Slear has concentrated his practice in the area of international trade compliance, internal investigations, and complex litigation in a wide variety of matters (with a particular emphasis on class action defense).  Mr. Slear regularly advises clients regarding the International Traffic in Arms Regulations, Export Administration Regulations, and U.S. sanctions laws and regulations administered by the Office of Foreign Assets Control (“OFAC”), and the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (“FCPA”).  He has conducted internal investigations for numerous clients in these areas as well as others, including matters involving antitrust and securities laws.   Mr. Slear has conducted investigations of clients' overseas subsidiaries, including investigations taking place in the Europe and the People's Republic of China.  His extensive government experience has proven invaluable for clients dealing with government agencies, including the Department of State, Department of Commerce, Department of Justice, Federal Trade Commission, and the Securities and Exchange Commission.  Mr. Slear also has extensive experience drafting and arguing motions in complex civil litigation before state trial and appeals courts, federal district courts, and the Court of Federal Claims, and has also used these skills to make successful submissions on behalf of clients with regard to export-related issues including complex authorizations, voluntary disclosures,  responses to directed disclosures, requests for advisory opinions, and commodity jurisdiction requests.

Mr. Slear received his law degree, magna cum laude, in 1992 from Georgetown University, where he was a member of the Order of the Coif, served as an editor of the Georgetown Law Journal, and was a recipient of the American Jurisprudence Award. In 1991 he was selected to serve as the first law clerk ever appointed to the former Air Force Court of Criminal Appeals. Mr. Slear holds a bachelor of arts degree in education from the University of Evansville and a master of science degree in education from Oregon State University.  He also graduated with distinction from the United States Army Judge Advocate General School with an LL.M. emphasizing study in government contracts.

Mr. Slear is admitted to practice in the District of Columbia, the United States Court of Federal Claims, and the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. He is an inactive member of the Nevada Bar.