James Zahradka, Assistant Chief Counsel

James Zahradka serves as Assistant Chief Counsel of the Legal Division for the California Civil Rights Department. Prior to joining the Civil Rights Department, he worked as Deputy Attorney General and Supervising Deputy Attorney General at the Civil Rights Enforcement Section of the California Department of Justice for almost a decade. In that role, James conducted litigation and investigations on behalf of the Attorney General and client agencies of the State of California in a wide range of matters, including civil rights-related issues in jails, education, immigration, worker health and safety, and housing. Prior to the Attorney General’s office, James worked at the Law Foundation of Silicon Valley, a San Jose-based non-profit, where he conducted impact litigation, as well as individual litigation and policy advocacy, on issues including housing, consumer, disability, and education rights.

James received his J.D. from the University of California, Davis and his B.A. (Political Science and German) from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Following his graduation from law school, James clerked for the Honorable Walter L. Carpeneti on the Alaska Supreme Court.