James L. Sultan

Massachusetts

Rankin & Sultan
1666 Massachusetts Avenue
Suite P-16
Lexington, MA 02420

Tel: (617) 720-0011

Email: jsultan@rankin-sultan.com
Web: www.rankin-sultan.com

Professional Biography

Attorney Jamie Sultan has 40 years of experience fighting for clients facing serious criminal charges in both state and federal courts. His practice includes fending off charges against clients under investigation, defending clients who have been charged, and prosecuting appeals and post-trial motions on behalf of clients following conviction.

He has appeared in trial and appellate courts throughout Massachusetts and in seven other states. Jamie has handled a number of high-profile cases.  Some of his recent successes include the reversal of a first degree murder conviction in Commonwealth v. Jones, 471 Mass. 307 (2017); the reversal of federal convictions in U.S. v. Diaz-Jimenez, 892 F.3d 454 (1st Cir. 2018) and U.S. v. Starks, 769 F.3d 83 (1st Cir. 2014); and first degree murder acquittals at trial in Commonwealth v. Jones (Suffolk Superior Court  2019) and Commonwealth v. Yasin (Suffolk Superior Court 2018).

Attorney Jamie Sultan has been listed in the Best Lawyers in America from 1991 to date and in Massachusetts Super Lawyers from 2004 to date.  He has a Martindale-Hubbell Peer Review Rating of AV, signifying “the highest level of professional excellence.”  In 1997, Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly named him one of the ten Massachusetts Lawyers of the Year.  He has taught a criminal defense seminar at Boston College Law School and lectures regularly at criminal defense conferences.

Attorney Jamie Sultan has been a member of the Massachusetts Bar since 1980 and was admitted to the United States Supreme Court Bar in 1988.  He also belongs to the U.S. District Court Bar and the Bar of the U.S. Courts of Appeals for the First, Second, Third, and Seventh Circuits.

Before beginning his practice of law, Attorney Sultan served as a Legislative Assistant to Congressman Robert F. Drinan and clerked for U.S. District Judge William Wayne Justice (E.D. TX). While a student at Harvard Law School, he was awarded Best Oralist in the Ames Moot Court Competition.

The Criminal Defense Practice

Attorney Charles “Charlie” Rankin and Attorney James “Jamie” Sultan founded our boutique criminal defense firm on June 1, 1986.  They had graduated from Harvard Law School in the same class and worked together as associates at a small criminal and constitutional litigation firm.  After each subsequently enjoyed a successful tour in private solo practice, the two reunited to join forces as Rankin & Sultan.  The partnership was inspired by a mutual passion for litigating criminal and constitutional issues.

Charlie and Jamie believe that people facing the awesome power of government and the enormous pitfalls of the criminal justice system are in grave peril and must have an advocate with tremendous zeal to fight for them. So Rankin & Sultan was born—to even the playing field; to safeguard liberty, property, and sometimes life; and to champion fundamental principles of justice, equity, and human dignity.

Rankin & Sultan quickly developed a reputation for providing painstakingly diligent, thoroughly sophisticated, and extremely effective legal counsel at both the trial and appellate levels. Our attorneys practice regularly in state and federal trial courts throughout Massachusetts, as well as several administrative agencies.  We also practice regularly in state and federal appellate courts in Massachusetts and in other jurisdictions.

The firm is one of very few Massachusetts criminal firms listed in the Martindale-Hubbell Bar Register of Preeminent Lawyers. Both Charlie and Jamie have received an AV rating from Martindale-Hubbell, the highest available rating. We have been recognized by US News and World Report as one of the best law firms in Boston for non-white-collar and white-collar criminal defense. We have also been named by that publication as one of the best law firms in the United States for appellate advocacy. Both Charlie Rankin and Jamie Sultan have been individually recognized by Best Lawyers in America and Massachusetts Super Lawyers for both non-white-collar and white-collar criminal defense.

Today, Rankin & Sultan is at the forefront of the field, having forged some of the most significant advances in criminal justice in Massachusetts over the past four decades. Charlie, Jamie, and Catherine are routinely called upon to speak, teach, and counsel others, from law students to accomplished practitioners.  All four attorneys share a deep personal commitment to top quality work and compassion for every client.