James D. Ridgway

James D. Ridgway is of counsel at the firm of Bergmann & Moore. As Director of Programs and Training, his focus is on standing up a new national training program for American Legion service officers that assist veterans in pursing claims for VA benefits.  He is the author of "Veterans Law:  Cases and Theory" as well as numerous articles on veterans law, the history of veterans benefits, and argument theory. His work has been cited by the Solicitor General to the Supreme Court, by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to Congress, and by Jon Stewart on the Daily Show.

Previously, Mr. Ridgway was a judge on Board of Veterans’ Appeals, where he served as the Chief of Strategy, Innovation, and Programs from 2016-2017 and Chief of Policy and Procedure from 2012-2016.  He clerked for the Hon. Kenneth Kramer, an original member of the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims (CAVC), and was the senior law clerk to the Hon. Alan G. Lance, Sr. for nearly eight years. In between his periods with the CAVC, Mr. Ridgway was an assistant state's attorney in Chicago for five years. While in Chicago, he taught appellate advocacy at the Loyola University of Chicago School of Law.

Mr. Ridgway has also served as president of the CAVC's bar association, co-chair of the Federal Circuit Bar Association’s Veterans Appeals Committee, and editor-in-chief of the Veterans Law Journal. He is the founder and administrator of VeteransLawLibrary.com, a co-founder the National Veterans Law Moot Court Competition (NVLMCC), a founding member of the CAVC Historical Society, and a member of Squadron 8 of the Sons of the American Legion.