James Clayborne has a broad-based litigation practice that includes an emphasis on matters involving product liability, commercial litigation, personal injury, class actions, municipal law and workers’ compensation.

His commercial litigation clients include such major corporations as Ford Motor Company, General Motors Corporation, US Bank National Association, ND, The Good Year Tire & Rubber Company, Hooters of America and Darden Restaurants, Inc. Mr. Clayborne is the corporate counsel for the City of East St. Louis, and corporate attorney for Kenneth Hall Regional Hospital. Since 1995 Mr. Clayborne has served as an Illinois State Senator for the 57th District. Before joining Hinshaw & Culbertson LLP in 1990, his extensive public service career included a number of positions from 1988 to 1990 with the St. Clair County State’s Attorney’s Office (Assistant State’s Attorney, Child Support, Misdemeanor Supervisor, Juvenile Supervisor, Felony Probation Revocation Supervisor, Felony Prosecutor), an internship with the Dade County State’s Attorney’s Office, and a judicial clerkship with the U.S. District Court, Southern District of Florida. He also served a judicial clerkship with the Legal Service of Eastern Missouri.

Mr. Clayborne is the recipient of the Legislative Excellence Award from the Associated Beer Distributors of Illinois. He was awarded the RCGA Statesman Award in 2005, 2006 and again in 2007. Mr. Clayborne has been rated by Martindale-Hubbell for ethics and legal ability.

Mr. Clayborne was extremely active in the Illinois Bar Association (Young Lawyers Division, 1991-1996, Under 35 Delegate to the ABA, 1992-Present, Board of Governors, 1995-1996), including service on a variety of task forces and committees (Ad Hoc Committee on Membership from Large Firms, Ad Hoc Committee on Mandatory Legal Education, Administrative Law Council, Mineral Law Committee, State and Local Tax Law Section and Task Force on Governance for the New Century).  His other professional affiliations include the National Bar Foundation (National Task Force Illinois State Bar), the East St. Louis Bar Association, the St. Clair County Bar Association (Board of Directors, 1991-93),  the Metro East Bar Association (Vice Chair, Young Lawyers Division), and the Advisory Group for Civil Justice Reform Act Southern District of Illinois.