| | James T. Massey advises on federal regulatory and policy advocacy, litigation, land use, real estate and agricultural law. He has over twenty-five years of complex federal regulatory and constitutional litigation experience, as well as significant experience serving as both an attorney and developer in land use and commercial real estate development. He has represented numerous national, statewide and local organizations in litigation, land use, legislative and regulatory advocacy and in organizational issues, including the National Family Farm Coalition, the Minnesota Milk Producers Association and the Ecumenical Ministries of Oregon. | | Representative Experience
- Represented agricultural producers and banks in more than fifty federal court lawsuits throughout the country challenging conduct of the USDA and Farm Credit System lenders.
- Provided counsel to real estate developers and builders in land use proceedings, including applications, hearings, administrative appeals and litigation.
- Provided representation to developers and owners of HUD and USDA subsidized multi-family housing projects.
- Drafted and testified before Congress in support of key provisions of the Agricultural Credit Act of 1987.
- Lead counsel in Coleman v. Lyng, successful national class action litigation on behalf of 230,000 USDA-financed agricultural producers.
Major Prior Work Experience
- Private practice - Sisters, Oregon.
- Of Counsel to Greene and Markley - Portland, Oregon.
- Founder and Executive Director, Farmers Legal Action Group - St. Paul, Minnesota
- Litigation Director, Mid-Minnesota Legal Assistance - Minneapolis, Minnesota.
- Litigation Coordinator, Oregon Legal Services - Portland Oregon.
- Reginald Heber Smith Community Lawyer Fellowship, Utah Legal Services - Salt Lake City, Utah.
- General Counsel, the Ecumenical Ministries of Oregon - Portland, Oregon
- Counsel, the National Family Farm Coalition - Washington, D.C.
Speaking Engagements/Publications
- Featured speaker at dozens of local and national events sponsored by, among others, the Agricultural Law Section of the American Bar Association, the North Dakota Supreme Court, National Farmers Union, National Family Farm Coalition, the bar associations of Minnesota, Oregon and North Dakota, the state Departments of Agriculture of Oregon, North Dakota, South Dakota and Texas, Rural Advancement Fund , California Farmers Association, Alabama Farm Bureau, National Legal Aid and Defender Association, Legal Services programs in Minnesota, Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Indiana and Illinoi, the Oklahoma Council of Churches and Ecumenical Ministries of Oregon.
- Co-author, “Title I of the Agricultural Credit Act of 1987: A Law in Search of Enforcement” 23 U.C. Davis Law Review 589 (1990).
- Author, “Farmers in Crisis: A Challenge to Legal Services.” 18 Clearinghouse Review 701 (1984-1985), Sargent Shriver National Center on Poverty Law, December 1984 (cover article). Republished by HeinOnline.
- Co-author, “Milk Marketing Orders Challenged.” Agricultural Law Update, (official publication of the American Agricultural Law Association), Volume 7, No. 13, September 1990.
- Author, “FmHA Borrowers Score Litigation Victories.” Agricultural Law Update, Volume 9, No. 12, September 1992.
- Author, “U.S. Judge Condemns “Stonewalling” of NAD Appeal Decision.” Agricultural Law Update, Volume 15, No. 7, May, 1998.
- Author, “Former Dairyman Wins ASCS/DTP Challenge.” Agricultural Law Update, Volume 10, No. 1, October, 1992.
- Author, “Farmers Home Administration and Farm Credit System Update.” Paper presented and published by the American Agricultural Law Association Fourteenth Annual Education Conference, November 1993, San Francisco, California.
Awards and Professional Activities - Awarded a Reginald Heber Smith Community Lawyer Fellowship by the Legal Services Corporation upon graduation from law school.
- Board member and President, National Juvenile Law Center.
- Chair, rural issues committee of the National Legal Aid and Defender Association.
- Appointed to the Legal Aid Committee of the Oregon State Bar.
- Appointed by the Minnesota State Bar and the Attorney General of the State of Minnesota to their Joint Task force on delivery of Legal Services to family farmers.
- Served on the Oregon State Bar screening and interview committee for appointments to the United States District Court for the District of Oregon.
Personal Interests
Jim Massey joined Reno & Cavanaugh following a lengthy sabbatical during which he and his wife sailed their 46 ft. ketch, “Trilogy”, throughout much of Mexico, Central and South America in the Pacific and southwest Caribbean. Massey continues to enjoy sailing, biking and family activities.
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