Services Handled
About
Managing Partner
James E. Farmer is a seasoned personal injury and criminal defense attorney in Waldorf, Maryland, and the managing partner of Farmer & Klopfer. In 1978, James' father, James F. Farmer, founded a law firm in Waldorf, Maryland, and established himself as the most aggressive attorney who succeeded in handling both criminal and personal injury cases. Inspired and trained by his father, James E. Farmer has expanded the legacy and built one of the largest and most respected law firms in Southern Maryland.
Mr. Farmer attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he obtained a bachelor’s degree in political science before going on to earn his Juris Doctor from the University of Baltimore School of Law. As an undergraduate, he studied abroad at the University of Cambridge in the U.K. During his time in law school, he excelled in the Comparative Law program at the University of Aberdeen in Scotland and ultimately completed his legal studies a semester early. He passed the bar with flying colors on his first attempt. He is admitted to practice in Maryland, United States District Court for the District of Maryland, and Washington D.C.
In addition to his formal education, Mr. Farmer completed a comprehensive training course in mediation training, earning his mediation certificate.
Mr. Farmer began his legal career at the firm (then known as Farmer & Pyles, P.A.) as an associate and apprentice of his father. Throughout his legal career, he has handled hundreds of personal injury and criminal defense cases and secured numerous favorable and significant results on behalf of his clients—many of which he achieved before his 30th birthday.
Call James Personal Injury Criminal Defense
Some of his recent notable case results include:
- In 2018, he, along with Associate Michael Klopfer as co-counsel in the case, won an opioid overdose murder trial in St. Mary’s County, Maryland. He was retained for the matter of the University of Maryland at Baltimore Hospital “dumping” a young black woman in the streets of Baltimore on a cold January night. Attorney James E. Farmer is the only private criminal defense lawyer in the state of Maryland to defend multiple cases of murder involving a death from drug/opioid overdose by an alleged drug dealer, and one of only a very limited number of attorneys in the entire United States to do so.
- Also in 2018, he secured a settlement of $966,000 for a client (names of parties are confidential) in a car accident case.
Additionally, Mr. Farmer has handled numerous serious personal injury cases involving car accidents, spinal cord injuries, traumatic brain injuries, motorcycle accidents, truck accidents, slip and fall accidents, and more, as well as criminal cases involving DUI, traffic, drug, violent crime, and murder charges. Many of Mr. Farmer’s and the firm’s case results have been reported in local, state, and national news publications, such as the Washington Post, National Public Radio (NPR), and the Baltimore Sun. He has also been featured on Crime Watch Daily with Chris Hanson.
Before the age of 30, Mr. Farmer earned an impressive number of awards, honors, and accolades in addition to his track record of courtroom successes. He has been selected for inclusion in the Maryland Super Lawyers® Rising Stars list numerous times and was named among the National Trial Lawyers’ Top 40 Under 40 and Maryland’s Outstanding Young Lawyers. Mr. Farmer has also been honored by the National Academy of Personal Injury Attorneys (NAOPIA) as a Nationally Ranked Top 10 Personal Injury Attorney under the Age of 40 (at the age of 29). The Washington Post also named him among the Washington, D.C. Metro Area’s Outstanding Young Lawyers, Top Attorneys, for his work as a personal injury plaintiff attorney.
In addition to his professional successes, Mr. Farmer is heavily involved in his community. He was honored by the Charles County Bar Association, which presented him with an award recognizing his “Exemplification of the Values of Personal Integrity, Competence and Civility” for his service in the legal community and his pro bono work with multiple organizations, such as the Family Recovery Court Program. At age 29, he also headlined Southern Maryland Women magazine as the “most eligible bachelor” in Southern Maryland.
As the managing partner of Farmer & Klopfer, Mr. Farmer is committed to providing each and every client with the fierce legal representation they need and deserve.
Honors & Awards
- Super Lawyers® Selection, 2021-2023
- Attorney James E. Farmer has been selected to the 2023 list of Maryland Super Lawyers®, and he also has six prior selections to Rising Stars℠. He was selected for his work as an attorney who manages plaintiff personal injury, criminal defense, and DUI/DWI defense cases. No more than 5% of practicing attorneys in a region can be named as a Super Lawyers® member each year. Selections are completed after a patented multiphase process that uses independent research, peer nominations, and peer evaluations. It is widely considered one of the most difficult professional legal awards to achieve.
- America’s Top 100 High Stakes Litigators®, 2022
- “Top Lawyers 2022” by Baltimore Magazine
- America's Top 100 Personal Injury Attorneys, 2021
- Top Attorneys: Washington, D.C. Metro Area’s Outstanding Young Lawyers, 2014, as published in the Washington Post magazine
- Recognized in the Worldwide Registry’s 2014-2015 Edition for excelling in the practice of car accident, criminal defense, and DWI/DUI law
- Completed comprehensive training course of Mediation Training pursuant to MD Rule 17-106
- Awarded Mediation Certificate
- National Trial Lawyers, Top 40 Under 40, 2014-2018
- Headlined Southern Maryland Women magazine
- National Academy of Personal Injury Attorneys, Top 10 Personal Injury Attorney Under the Age of 40
- Selected for inclusion in Super Lawyers® Magazine, 2012-2018
- National Trial Lawyers, Top 100 Criminal Trial Lawyers
- Baltimore Magazine, Top Attorneys, Rising Stars in Maryland, 2017
- The American Society of Legal Advocates, Top 40 Criminal Lawyers Under 40, 2018
- Avvo.com Client’s Choice Award, 2016-2018
- Avvo rating of 10.0 out of 10.0, 2018
- Martindale-Hubbell®, Client Champion, Platinum, 2018
- National Academy of Personal Injury Lawyers, Top 10 Lawyer Under the age of 40, 2013
- National Advocacy for DUI Defense, LLC, Top 100 DUI Attorneys in Maryland, 2016
Awards
Education
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Study Abroad University of Cambridge - UniversityCambridgeshire , UKH
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Bachelor of Arts, Political Science University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (Honors: Dean’s List) - UniversityChapel Hill , NC
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Study Abroad Aberdeen University School of Law's Comparative Law Program - Graduate SchoolAberdeen , UKM
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Juris Doctor University of Baltimore School of Law - Graduate SchoolBaltimore , MD
The opinions that matter Most
READ OUR 5-STAR REVIEWS
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“Thank you, Mr. Farmer, and may God bless you in your future endeavors.”
“You and your team have given my family our son back. No amount can adequately compensate for that gift! I can only hope our heart-felt thank-you and 'God bless you' will somehow offset the imbalance.”- Father of Defendant in Murder Trial -
“A family member was in a bad situation and they resolved it with ZERO drama.”
“Don’t mess around when it’s your money on the line. Go with these guys if you want excellent, competent attorneys.”- Miguel P. -
“Truly cared about my case and how the accident affected me.”
“I have used James Farmer office for two accidents I have been in; both times they were exceptional.”- Ashley B. -
“He got me the best possible sentencing I've could have asked for.”
“I've had several lawyers over the last decade and James Farmer has been the absolute best.”- Karl S. -
“The staff at the office was very friendly and professional.”
“I would highly recommend this attorney to anyone who is in need of an attorney.”- Tanya M. -
“Showed me true dedication that goes far beyond a paycheck”
James Farmer and his team exceeded all expectations! I had a very serious criminal case and his firm was recommended to me by a family member. I was incarcerated during this time and he and his associate Stephanie came to update me on multiple occasions on the progress of my case. They were not only professional but the amount of time and energy they put into my case showed me true dedication that goes far beyond a paycheck! They prepared for trial, but in the end was able to work out a plea deal that did not include any jail time. I couldn’t have asked for a better attorney. I highly recommend Mr. Farmer and his team for any criminal case!- Previous Client -
“Kind, sympathetic, reassuring and more importantly, very knowledgeable”
I couldn’t be happier with the service I received from this law firm. I felt comfortable from the minute I first walked through the door. I had less than two weeks before the expiration of my personal injury filing date and was overwhelmed. My first appointment was with Elizabeth who took my huge stack of papers with a smile and said, “Let me take care of this for you.” Although all of the staff that I encountered were wonderful, my main experience was with Mr. Farmer and Elizabeth who were both kind, sympathetic, reassuring and more importantly, very knowledgeable. My case was handled professionally and in a timely fashion. My case was recently concluded and I am very happy with the outcome and would not hesitate to use them again or recommend them to my friends and family in the future. Need a good law firm, no need to look further.- Donna -
“A wise choice for anyone pursuing legal justice and/or a defense”
- Previous ClientMr. Farmer and his team were impressive through their work effort and detailed approach in every phase the Civil Court Personal Injury case. They also were responsive to any questions/concerns, supportive and communicated well through out the process. In the end, a satisfactory settlement was achieved. Mr. Farmer would be a wise choice for anyone pursuing legal justice and/or a defense.
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$1,800,000 $1,800,000 | Car Accident - 2022 -
$1,250,000 $1,250,000 | Car Accident, Confidential - 2022
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$966,000 $966,000 | Car Accident - 2019
HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS RECOVERED FOR OUR CLIENTS
LET US GO FOR THE KNOCK-OUT
- $1,800,000 | Car Accident - 2022
- $1,250,000 | Car Accident, Confidential - 2022
- $966,000 | Car Accident - 2019