James Schmillen
Attorney At Law
Jim Schmillen earned his B.S., magna cum laude, with a double major in both Accounting and Finance from the University of Arizona. He then attended the Sandra Day O’Connor School of Law at Arizona State University, where he graduated cum laude with their pro bono distinction.
Jim has been practicing law in Arizona since 2001. For his first three years of practice, he leveraged his business and accounting background working for a boutique complex commercial litigation firm. In 2004, Jim continued his practice in the area of business law serving as in-house counsel for a large construction company. In 2008, Jim discovered his passion for family law, and began transitioning his focus to family law. Since then, Jim has developed his knowledge and skill to represent clients needing successful family law solutions and personalized representation. His educational and professional background in business and finance are uncommon in family law, and uniquely positions him to understand and negotiate the complicated financial issues that can arise in family law cases. Jim is adept at litigating complex family law matters and has the understanding and experience to know what resources and techniques to employ to achieve a successful result.
Jim holds many professional designations and contributes to our community. He has been a member of the Arizona State Bar and is admitted to practice in the United States District Court for the District of Arizona and the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.
Jim is a former president of VITA (Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Program) and volunteered for FLAP (the Family Legal Assistance Program). Jim also served on the Board of Directors for the Maricopa County Bar Association Family Law Section.
In addition to Jim’s professional designations and community contributions, he has received numerous recognitions and awards that set him apart. In 2015, he was named ‘Attorney of the Month’ by the Volunteer Lawyers Program. That same year, he was also awarded by Avvo with the Client’s Choice Award; currently, Jim holds a ‘Superb’ rating through Avvo. In December of 2019, Jim was recognized by Martindale-Hubbell as a 2019 AV Prominent Peer Reviewed Attorney – a distinction held by only 10% of attorneys in the United States. Jim has held his Martindale AV rating since 2019.
Jim contributes to the family law legal community through his expertise and writing. He especially enjoys appellate work where he is able to advocate for important clarification and changes in family law.