Jim is a native of Whitefish and has practiced law in Montana for many years. Jim earned a BA from the George Washington University in Washington, DC, where he concentrated in western political theory, a JD degree from the University of Montana School of Law, and a Masters degree in federal taxation from Boston University Law School. He served as an intern at the Montana Constitutional Convention, an aide to Western Montana Congressman Richard Shoup, and a law clerk to Hon. Gene B. Daly of the Montana Supreme Court.