“I HAVE WORKED HARD FOR THE CITIZENS OF BAY COUNTY IN THE PRACTICE OF LAW. IT WOULD BE AN HONOR TO SERVE THEM AS A JUDGE FOR BAY COUNTY’S 74TH DISTRICT COURT.”

  • In 2004, James opened his legal practice, Perry Law Office, PLC, in Bay City, Michigan, in the Academy Building, and some three years later moved to the Phoenix Building in downtown Bay City, where he handled a variety of legal matters, everything from landlord tenant to divorce and custody to criminal cases. He also became a certified civil mediator so that he could mediate civil disputes.

  • In 2017, James became an attorney referee, in the Saginaw County Family Division - Juvenile Court, where he served until 2024, when he became Bay County’s 74th District Court Attorney Magistrate, handling small claims, arraignments, traffic matters, and weddings. He has performed over 115 weddings so far in his tenure.

  • During the years he practiced law, James taught law at local schools including the Delta College Police Academy, Saginaw Valley State University, Ferris State University, Delta College, and Davenport University. He also volunteered as a member of the Safe Havens Steering Committee, to help establish safe parenting time and exchanges.

  • In 1994, James graduated from Albion College with a Bachelor of Arts, Magna Cum Laude. He graduated from the University of Detroit Mercy School of Law with a Juris Doctor in 1997.

  • He is a member of the State Bar of Michigan, the Bay County Bar Association, the Referees Association of Michigan, and the Michigan Association of District Court Magistrates.

  • James has been married for 22 years to Margaret Leaming, who grew up in Bay County and served for over 25 years as a Bay County Assistant Prosecutor before retiring in 2024.

  • James grew up in Midland, Michigan. His father Bill was a pipe fitter for Dow Chemical. Before that, he worked for the Defoe Shipbuilding Company in Bay City. His mother Nancy is a registered nurse who worked at the Midland Hospital and then in home health care.

  • He has three siblings, Michelle, Matt, and Anne.

“IT’S IMPORTANT TO HAVE A JUDGE WHO WILL TREAT EVERYONE FAIRLY, SOMETHING I HAVE TRIED TO DO AS A LAWYER IN PRIVATE PRACTICE AND LATER AS AN ATTORNEY REFEREE AND MAGISTRATE.”