Jim is the managing shareholder of James T. Snyder Law, PLLC, in Syracuse, New York, where he concentrates in the areas of personal injury and consumer rights litigation, trial and appellate practice, and class actions. He is recognized as a New York Super Lawyer.
Jim received his A.B. degree from Colgate University, Magna Cum Laude, Phi Beta Kappa, and his J.D. degree from Albany Law School of Union University. Before starting his own law practice, Jim was a partner in a top-rated plaintiff’s personal injury law firm for nearly two decades, representing individuals injured by the motor vehicle, product liability or medical negligence of others. Prior to that, he was a speechwriter, Senior Staff member, and an Assistant Counsel to New York State Governor Mario M. Cuomo. As Assistant Counsel to the Governor, Jim’s responsibilities included legislative bill drafting, negotiation, and litigation oversight relating to the New York State Judiciary, the Department of Taxation and Finance, the Division of the Budget, and the Board of Elections. Jim began his legal career as a senior trial attorney with The Legal Aid Society of the City of New York, in the Criminal Defense Division, Brooklyn Office.
Jim served for 20 years as an adjunct professor in the Legal Studies Program at Syracuse University, teaching litigation and civil practice, tort law, and alternative dispute resolution. He is currently the Pre-Law Advisor and a Professor in the Political Science Department at Le Moyne College in Syracuse, and has taught in the Sociology and Criminal Justice Department at Le Moyne as well. Jim regularly lectures to other lawyers in professional Continuing Legal Education (CLE) programs. Jim was a founder and director of the Franciscan Northside Ministries Legal Referral Clinic in Syracuse, and was awarded the 2003 New York State Bar Association President’s Pro Bono Service Attorney Award. Jim is engaged in disability rights advocacy, and is a member of the Advisory Board of the Burton Blatt Institute at Syracuse University, and is a past member of the Board of Directors at Aurora of Central New York, Inc., a service and advocacy organization for individuals with visual and/or hearing impairments. He has regularly lectured at the Syracuse University College of Law Disability Rights Clinic.
Licensed to practice law in New York State and the District of Columbia, Jim’s memberships include the New York State Bar Association, the Onondaga County Bar Association, the N.D.N.Y. Federal Court Bar Association, the New York State Academy of Trial Lawyers (where he received the 2010 President’s Award for service to the Academy), and he has been a member of the New York State Democratic Committee. He is married to Georgette Gonzales-Snyder, Esq., and the couple has two children.
Background, Experience, & Work
+ Education
Colgate University, A.B., Magna Cum Laude, Phi Beta Kappa, 1980
Albany Law School of Union University, J.D., 1983
+ Admissions
New York State Bar - 1984
U.S. District Court, Eastern and Southern Districts of New York - 1986
District of Columbia - 1988
U.S. District Court, Western and Northern Districts of New York - 1989
U.S. Court of Appeals, Second Circuit - 2001
+ Membership & Affiliation
- New York State Academy of Trial Lawyers (Member, Board of Directors, 2009 to present)
- New York State Bar Association
- Onondaga County Bar Association
- N.D.N.Y. Federal Court Bar Association
- Disability Rights Bar Association
- New York Super Lawyers (Rated top 5% of attorneys in Upstate NY)
- Qualified Neutral Mediator, N.Y.S. Supreme Court, Civil and Commerical Divisions, Fifth Judicial District
+ Teaching
Le Moyne College, Syracuse, N.Y.
- Professor, Political Science Department, 2017 to Present
- Adjunct Professor, Political Science Department, 2012 to 2017
- Adjunct Professor, Sociology Department, 2007
- Pre-Law Advisor to the College and Chairman of the 3+3 Program, 2013 to Present
- Recipient, Le Moyne College, College of Arts and Sciences: Social Sciences Career Mentor Award (2021)
- Recipient, Louis D. DeGennaro, Ph.D., Undergraduate Mentor Award (2019)
- Subjects: Federal Constitutional Law; State Constitutional Law; Law and Politics; Legal Research and Writing; Introduction to Legal Studies; Poverty and the Law; Congress; Cybersecurity Law
Syracuse University, Syracuse, N.Y.
- Adjunct Professor, Legal Studies Program, 1993 to 2012
- Subjects: Civil Practice and Procedure; Torts; Alternative Dispute Resolution
+ Community Activities and Awards
- Super Lawyers 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, and 2023
- Martindale-Hubbell Peer Review Rated, Distinguished Attorney
- U.S. Second Circuit Judicial Council, Civic Education Committee (2015 to Present)
- U.S. District Court, Northern District of New York, Honor Roll of Pro Bono Service (2009-2014)
- Founder/Director, Franciscan Northside Ministries Legal Referral Clinic, Syracuse, New York
- Frank H. Hiscock Legal Aid Society (Member, Board of Directors, 1997 to 2012)
- Burton Blatt Institute, Syracuse University (Member, Advisory Board, 2009 to present)
- Recipient, New York State Bar Association, President’s Pro Bono Service Attorney Award, 2003
- Recipient, New York State Academy of Trial Lawyers, President’s Award, 2010
- Aurora of Central New York, Inc. (Member, Board of Directors, 2012 to 2015)
- Syracuse Regional Airport Authority, Airport Accessibility Committee (Member, 2019 to present)
- Christ the King Retreat House (Member, Board of Directors, 2012 to 2022)
- Past Member, New York State Democratic Committee, 121st A.D.
- Evaluator, Syracuse University Law School Moot Court Teams (various)
- Evaluator, Colgate University Moot Court Competition
- Evaluator, National Black Law Students Association (NBLSA) Thurgood Marshall Moot Court Competition
+ Lectures/CLE Presentations
- Negotiating Injury Claims 2023-2024 - 2023
- Advanced Trial Strategies for Plaintiff's Personal Injury Attorneys - 2023
- New York Personal Injury Boot Camp - 2022
- Minor Impact Soft Tissue Injury (MIST) Case Strategies - 2022
- Minor Impact Soft Tissue Injury (MIST) Case Strategies - 2021
- Plaintiff's Guide: New York Personal Injury From Start to Finish - 2021
- The Rules of Evidence: A Practical Toolkit - 2019
- Civil Trial: Everything You Need to Know - 2019
- How to Lay a Foundation: Applying Ethics Rules to Evidence - 2018
- Damages in Personal Injury - 2018
- Traumatic Brain Injury Cases: Doctor and Attorney Perspectives - 2018
- The Rules of Evidence: A Practical Toolkit - 2017
- Punitive Damages in Civil Rights Cases - 2017
- Auto Liability/No-Fault Law, NYS Trial Academy Annual Update - 2016
- Applying the Rules of Evidence: What Every Attorney Needs to Know – 2015
- Auto Liability/No-Fault Law, NYS Trial Academy Annual Update - 2015
- Damages in Personal Injury - 2014
- The Disk Whisperer – Digital Forensics for More than Just Criminal Investigations - 2014.
- Auto Liability/No-Fault Law, NYS Trial Academy Annual Update - 2014
- The Basics of Trial Practice: After the Verdict - 2013.
- Auto Liability/No-Fault Law, NYS Trial Academy Annual Update - 2013
- Trucking Litigation and Selected Trucking Injury Topics - 2012.
- The Mechanics of New York Civil Procedure - 2012
- Auto Liability/No-Fault Law, NYS Trial Academy Annual Update - 2012
- Gaining the Best Settlement in Auto Injury Cases - 2011
- Successfully Navigating the Appeals Process - 2010
- Strategies for Legal Research on the Web - 2009
- Taking and Defending Effective Depositions in New York - 2008
- How to Successfully Resolve Automobile Injury Cases - 2008
- Product Liability, NYS Trial Academy Annual Update - 2008
- Litigating to Win Through Advanced Trial Advocacy - 2007
- Internet Strategies for Legal Professionals - 2006
- Discovery Skills for Legal Staff - 2004, 2006.
- Rights of the Intellectually Disabled to Palliative Care - 2004
- Personal Injury in New York - 2003, 2004.
- Computer Assisted Legal Research for New York Paralegals – 2002
+ Reported Cases & Articles
Parke v. Dollar Tree
155 A.D.3d 1498 (3rd Dept. 2017)
Hewitt v. Liverpool Central School District, et al.
134 A.D.3d 1507 (4th Dept. 2015)
Gates v. Longden, et al.
120 A.D.3d 980, 991 N.Y.S.2d 229 (4th Dept. 2014)
Duffel v. City of Syracuse
103 A.D.3d 1235, 958 N.Y.S.2d 916 (4th Dept. 2013)
Kirk v. University OB-GYN Associates, Inc.
104 A.D.3d 1192, 960 N.Y.S.2d 793 (4th Dept. 2013)
Chavis v Syracuse Community Health Ctr., Inc.
96 A.D.3d 1489 (N.Y. App. Div. 4th Dept. 2012)
Estate of Small v. Caprara, et al.
100 A.D.3d 1353, 954 N.Y.S.2d 298 (4th Dept. 2012)
Parkis v. Microsoft Corporation
2009 WL 1585003 (N.D.N.Y. 2009)
Smalls v. City of Syracuse
17 Misc.3d 1112(A), 851 N.Y.S.2d 66 (N.Y. Sup. Ct. 2007)
Curtis v. Naselli
12 A.D.3d 1098, 784 N.Y.S.2d 401 (4th Dept. 2004)
Mosley v. Apple Computer
7:04-CV-5773 (S.D.N.Y 2004)
Blouin v. Spitzer
213 F.Supp.2d 184 (N.D.N.Y. 2002), aff’d, 356 F.3d 348 (2d Cir. 2004)
Matter of Beyah v. Goord
309 A.D.2d 1049, 766 N.Y.S.2d 222 (3rd Dept. 2003)
Reagan-Dailey v. McNichol
309 A.D.2d 1221, 765 N.Y.S.2d 105 (4th Dept. 2003)
Reid v. Sony Corporation of America
300 A.D.2d 1155, 751 N.Y.S.2d 429 (4th Dept. 2002)
Green v. Clark-Reliance Corp.
300 A.D.2d 1155, 751 N.Y.S.2d 429 (4th Dept. 2002)
Southworth v. Macko
294 A.D.2d 920, 741 N.Y.S.2d 813 (4th Dept. 2002)
Blouin v. Spitzer
2001 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 18243 (N.D.N.Y. 2001)
Matter of State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance and Tremaine
270 A.D.2d 962, 705 N.Y.S.2d 477 (4th Dept. 2000)
Dunning v. Ohmeda Pharmaceutical Products Division
1998 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 19744 (N.D.N.Y. 1998)
Ferrugia v. State of New York
237 A.D.2d 858, 655 N.Y.S.2d 174 (3rd Dept. 1997)
Robbins v. Navistar International Transportation Corporation
224 A.D.2d 912, 638 N.Y.S.2d 525 (3rd Dept. 1996)
Wisner v. United States
154 F.R.D. 39 (N.D.N.Y. 1994)
United States v. Perkins
1994 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 11510 (N.D.N.Y. 1994)
People v. Barnett
135 Misc.2d 1127, 517 N.Y.S.2d 849 (N.Y. Crim. Ct. 1987)
Revisor, Carmody-Waite 2d: “Oaths, Affirmations, and Affidavits” (West, 2001)
Campaigns and Elections magazine: “7 Tips for Writing a Great Campaign Speech” (Feb. 2000)