Education:
J.D., magna cum laude, Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law
B.A. in Physics and Philosophy, Northwestern University
Admissions:
State Bar of Arizona
United States Supreme Court
U.S. Court of Appeals, 9th Circuit
U.S. District Court, District of Arizona
Community:
Corazón AZ, Board Member
Christian Church (Disc. of Christ), General Board Member
Recognitions:
Leader of the Year Advancing Law in Arizona, Arizona Capital Times
Community Luchador, LUCHA
Navy Achievement Medal, USN
Representative Cases & Initiatives:
Predatory Debt Collection Protection Act
Fair Wages and Healthy Families Act
Ariz. Fee Enterprise v. Bennett, 131 S.Ct. 2806 (Clean Elections)
Roundtree v. City of Page, 573 P.3d 65 (Local Initiative)
Workers for Responsible Dev't v. Tempe, 254 Ariz. 505 (Local Referendum)
Jim Barton
Partner
Jim practices political and government relations law. His clients include labor unions and their separate segregated funds, civic engagement and voter education nonprofit corporations, state and federal political action committees, and organizations that promote or challenge Arizona ballot measures.​
He works on every phase of initiative campaigns, from drafting the text of the initiative, to ballot qualification, through post-election defense of the measure. In the case of the Arizonans for Fair Wages and Healthy Families Act, he also successfully challenged the constitutionality of the Arizona Legislature's effort to minimize the Act.
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He helps both in-state and out-of-state sponsors and supporters of political action in Arizona navigate the web of overlapping campaign finance regulation in the state, including understanding compliance with Arizona's Voter Right to Know Act and local transparency ordinances.
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Jim has represented numerous employees of the Maricopa County Community College District, both faculty and classified staff members, in claims of discrimination, sexual harassment, ADA violations, and other employment matters. He also represents the Maricopa Community College Faculty Association. In that capacity he successfully negotiated a settlement of claims related to the District's infringing on Faculty free speech and academic freedom.​
Before co-founding Barton Mendez Soto, Jim represented the Citizens Clean Elections Commission and the Arizona Secretary of State as an Assistant Attorney General in the Arizona Solicitor General's Office. He also represented the Secretary of State in investigating campaign finance and election law violations and served as a member of the Open Meeting Law Enforcement Team.
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After receiving his Juris Doctor, magna cum laude, from the Arizona State University College of Law in 2005, Jim clerked for Arizona Chief Justice Ruth McGregor. He earned a Bachelor of Arts in physics and philosophy at Northwestern University and served as a submarine warfare officer in the United States Navy from 1993 to 1998.