​Lina E. James, Deputy City Attorney -
City of Charlotte, North Carolina 

Lina E. James serves as the Deputy City Attorney for the Charlotte City Attorney’s Office. She works closely with the City Attorney while overseeing the day-to-day operations of the legal and administrative office staff in advising the Mayor, City Council, the City Manager and City departments on all facets of legal, policy and legislative matters. During her tenure at the City, Lina has represented and defended the City on a broad range of complex litigation including successful defenses at the appellate level. Her practice also focuses on negotiating contracts on a diverse array of initiatives, projects and large-scale events. Lina is an alum of the UNC School of Government’s Municipal and County Administration Program.

Lina’s professional activities include the Community Building Initiative’s Leadership Development Institute program and leadership roles with the Mecklenburg County Bar’s Executive Committee, Linking Lawyers and Lawyer Referral Service. Her community activities include advisory and voluntary boards of Hope Haven, the YMCA, A Child’s Place, Centralina Development Corporation, Inc. and as parent volunteer with Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools. Of particular pride is Lina’s service as a program fellow with the Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation.

Before joining the City Attorney’s Office, Lina was in private practice managing and litigating civil and criminal matters, including numerous bench and jury trials. She began her career with the Public Defender’s Office. Lina is a graduate of the Loyola University New Orleans College of Law and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.