James Earl Coleman, Jr.

James Earl Coleman, Jr.
Born James Earl Coleman, Jr.
December 1, 1946
Charlotte, North Carolina, U.S.
Alma mater A.B., Harvard University, JD, Columbia Law School
Occupation Lawyer & Law Professor
Spouse(s) Doriane Lambelet Coleman
Children Jacqueline Coleman Snead, Alexander & Nicolas

James Earl Coleman, Jr. (born December 1, 1946) is an American attorney and Professor of Law at Duke University. He was the primary member of serial killer Ted Bundy's last defense team.[1][2] He was also involved in the 2006 Duke lacrosse team scandal.[3] He has appeared on 60 minutes, The Early Show and other national broadcasts.[4] He currently teaches Law at the Duke University School of Law where he is the co-director of the Duke Law Wrongful Convictions Clinic and faculty advisor of the Innocence Project.[5]

Education and early career

Coleman was born in Charlotte, North Carolina on December 1, 1946. After graduating from a local public school in 1965, he attended a post-graduate year at Phillips Exeter Academy. He went on to attend Harvard University and Columbia Law School. Coleman clerked for the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan. After a year of private practice in New York, Coleman spent the next 15 years at the Washington, D.C. law firm of Wilmer Cutler and Pickering, the last 12 as a partner.[6]

Bundy litigation

In 1986 Coleman joined the defense team of serial killer, Ted Bundy along with associate Polly Nelson.[7] Coleman was able to secure three stays before Bundy was finally executed on January 24, 1989.[8]

Duke Lacrosse

In 2006 Coleman was appointed head of a committee, by president Richard H. Brodhead, to investigate the Duke Lacrosse team's culture. He was noted as one of the only people involved in the case to publicly speak out against former district attorney Mike Nifong for his missteps in handling the case. In interviews with 60 Minutes and CBS and an article he wrote for the Huffington Post, Coleman voiced his concerns about the justice system on display throughout the Duke lacrosse case.[9][10][11] Coleman argued that Nifong pandered to the black community during the election campaign: "I think that he pandered to the community by saying 'I'm gonna go out there and defend your interests in seeing that these hooligans who committed the crime are prosecuted. I'm not gonna let their fathers, with all of their money, buy, you know, big-time lawyers and get them off. I'm doing this for you.'"[12] Furthermore, Coleman stated that Nifong had committed serious prosecutorial misconduct, and if there was a conviction, there "would be a basis to have the conviction overturned based on his conduct."[12]

Wrongful Convictions

As a professor at the Duke University School of Law Coleman is the co-director of the Wrongful Convictions Clinic and the faculty advisor for the Innocence Project. Both programs work to exonerate wrongfully convicted inmates primarily in North Carolina. In recent years Coleman and the Wrongful Convictions Clinic have succeeded in exonerating former inmates including LaMonte Armstrong and Shawn Massey.[13][14][15]

References