James Russell Traut is the founding partner of the Traut Firm in Santa Ana, California, with over 45 years of experience as a trial lawyer. Specializing in legal malpractice and serious personal injury litigation, he is one of fewer than 100 California attorneys certified by the National Board of Trial Advocacy as both a civil trial specialist and a civil pretrial practice advocate. He earned his B.A. from UCLA and his J.D. from Pepperdine University School of Law in 1976.