News

Foulston Siefkin Partner James Oliver Inducted to American Academy of Appellate Lawyers

October 11, 2017

Foulston Siefkin partner James Oliver has been selected as a Fellow of the American Academy of Appellate Lawyers (AAAL). He was inducted at the Academy’s meeting in San Francisco on October 6, 2017.

Membership in AAAL is reserved for experienced appellate advocates who have demonstrated the highest skill level and integrity. Nominations to the organization can only be made by current Fellows. Nominees are thoroughly vetted by the legal and judicial communities in a confidential process and must be elected to the fellowship by the board of directors. Because of these high standards, Academy Fellows rank among the "Who's Who" of appellate practice in the jurisdictions where they appear.  The Academy is committed to advancing the administration of justice and promoting the highest standards of professionalism and advocacy in appellate courts.

Mr. Oliver received his J.D. from Washburn University and began his legal career as law clerk to Tenth Circuit Judge Delmas C. Hill.  He joined Foulston Siefkin LLP in 1977. Since then, he has served as a resident partner at each of the firm’s offices in Wichita, Topeka, and Kansas City.  Oliver has been counsel of record in more than 100 Kansas appeals and 35 appeals in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit.  

Earlier this year, Mr. Oliver was appointed by the Kansas Supreme Court to a second term as chair of the Court’s Admissions Review Committee, which reviews the character and fitness of applicants for admission to the bar, and is past chairman of the Committee on Conduct of Attorneys of the Kansas United States District Court.  Oliver is past president of the Kansas Bar Foundation and the Wichita Bar Association and a Fellow of the American and Johnson County Bar Foundations. 

Mr. Oliver has been selected by his peers for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America® and the Missouri and Kansas Super Lawyers®, and he has been is listed in Chambers USA as a leading commercial litigation lawyer in the U.S.  In addition to his practice, Mr. Oliver serves as Co-General Counsel of the law firm.