James Patrick Lambe

James P. Lambe was a Fresno criminal defense lawyer from 1986 to 2024. Before entering private practice, he spent 28 years with the Fresno County Public Defender's Office, where he was a Senior Defense Attorney. Mr. Lambe was admitted to the California Bar in 1977 and the District of Columbia Bar in 1985. He received his A.B. from the University of Michigan and his J.D. from the University of Illinois.

Mr. Lambe completed 100 jury trials. In trials of life sentence cases, he obtained eight acquittals, four hung jury dismissals, and three in limine motion dismissals. Mr. Lambe employed creativity in settling four death penalty cases. He also concluded 33 other murder cases, preventing a murder conviction in 18 of them, and 104 three strikes cases, preventing a three strikes sentence in 94 of them. Mr. Lambe was the trial attorney in two published cases which effected significant changes in California law: People v. Myers (1998) 61 Cal.App.4th 328, 71 Cal.Rptr.2d 518 (self-defense) and People v. Howard (2005) 34 Cal.4th 1129, 23 Cal.Rptr.3rd 306 (felony murder). Mr. Lambe was Certified as a Specialist in Criminal Trial Advocacy by the National Board of Trial Advocacy (1998 to 2023), and in Criminal Law by the State Bar of California (1994 to 2024). In 2009, he became the first criminal law attorney from the San Joaquin Valley to be named a Fellow of the Litigation Counsel of America, and he is a Barrister of the Order of Centurions. Mr. Lambe is AV Preeminent Peer Review Rated by Martindale-Hubbell. He was listed in Marquis Who's Who in America, Marquis Who's Who in American Law, and Thomson Reuters Super Lawyers.

Mr. Lambe is the author of "Right to Speedy Trial" and "Jury Deliberations and Verdict" in California Criminal Law Procedure and Practice (2013 to 2024); "Injury and Death" and "Increased Punishment for Prior Similar Offenses" in California Criminal Sentencing Enhancements (2012 to 2024); and "Monetary Sanctions" in the Contempt Defense Manual (2007, 2015). He was a trial advocacy instructor at the California Public Defenders Association Trial Skills Institute (2001 to 2009, 2011, 2013 to 2015); and a lecturer on discovery, jury selection, evidence, cross-examination, closing argument, sentencing, ethics, and civility at the California Lawyers Association Annual Meeting, the State Bar of California Annual Meeting, and the State Bar of California Section Education Institute (2003 to 2015, 2018 to 2019). In recognition of his writing, instructing, and lecturing, Mr. Lambe received the Spirit of CEB Award in 2008 at the State Bar of California Annual Meeting. He served on the California Attorneys for Criminal Justice Board of Governors, State Bar of California Criminal Law Advisory Commission, State Bar of California Criminal Law Section Executive Committee, and California Lawyers Association Criminal Law Section Executive Committee.