From 2008-2012, James was the Chief Information Officer at Thomas Jefferson School of Law in San Diego. He was hired to oversee the design and construction of their new campus, with the goal of building the most high-tech and green law school in the country. The project planning included a virtualized data center (VMWare) and a goal of moving their 300 desktop computers to run off a private cloud, reducing the volume of toxic metals needing recycling and the amount of electricity consumed. In 2011, James was honored with the Cox Business Exemplary Award, one of San Diego Magazine's Top Tech Exec Awards, for both his work building the physical campus infrastructure and the project's environmental commitment.