William G. James II
On the New York attorney register since 1997 · office in Washington, DC
PlainAttorney’s reading of the public register file, not a court record.
- Registration No.
- 2816577
- Admitted
- 1997 · First Department
- Status
- Delinquent
- Next registration
- Jul 2027
William G. James II is delinquent on the New York attorney register file of Sep 29, 2026. Admitted in 1997 in the First Department, with an office in Washington, DC; next registration due Jul 2027. The status is the same in all 3 files we hold. The month shown is the next cycle’s; the delinquency concerns an earlier registration the register did not receive.
What this status means on the register
On the register, “Delinquent” means the attorney has a registration the register shows as due and not received. Under the rule a failure to register results in referral to the Appellate Division for disciplinary action; the register does not show whether a given attorney was referred. How many hold this status.
- Delinquent unchanged
- Delinquent unchanged
- Delinquent the first file we hold
We show the 3 register files of the last twelve months (Jul 3, 2026, Aug 6, 2026, Sep 29, 2026). A change of standing between them is struck through in red; the routine birthday cycle is not.
Source: NY Office of Court Administration, attorney registration file (data.ny.gov, dataset eqw2-r5nb), downloaded Sep 29, 2026; the Jul 3, 2026 and Aug 6, 2026 files for the history.
Others who list this employer on the register
The register gives this attorney’s employer as “Allen Overy Shearman Sterling US LLP”. We count that spelling with A&O Shearman, the name most registrants give for the firm now; the register does not say where the attorney works today.
585 other attorneys list A&O Shearman or one of its other names as their employer on the register. The 5 whose admission is closest to 1997, earliest first:
| Attorney | Admitted | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Azam Hassan Aziz | 1997 | Currently registered |
| Geoffrey Brett Goldman | 1997 | Currently registered |
| Jordana Beth Merlis | 1997 | Suspended, delinquent |
| Lindie Susan Polliack | 1997 | Suspended, delinquent |
| Kenneth Stewart Rivlin | 1997 | Currently registered |
Source: NY Office of Court Administration, attorney registration file (data.ny.gov, dataset eqw2-r5nb), downloaded Sep 29, 2026; employer spellings merged (methodology).
Where this record sits on the register
William G. James II studied at New York University School of Law.
- Same law school
- 23,248living graduates; 86.5% registered (current or due), against 87.1% overall
- Office in Washington, DC
- 12,527living registrants give an office there (outside New York State)
Source: NY Office of Court Administration, attorney registration file (data.ny.gov, dataset eqw2-r5nb), downloaded Sep 29, 2026; living registrants only.
How to confirm it officially
The register is published by the court system; PlainAttorney shows it as released. For a statement of an attorney’s standing, contact the Attorney Registration Unit of the NY Office of Court Administration (nycourts.gov/attorneys), or ask the Appellate Division in the attorney’s department. The register places the office outside New York, so a complaint would go to the grievance committee of the First Department, which admitted this attorney (22 NYCRR 1240.7(a)(2)).
This page reads the register file of Sep 29, 2026; the court system publishes the file every few weeks, so its own search can be newer. The register shows only the current value: a suspension that ended before the files we hold, or discipline short of suspension such as a censure, leaves no trace here. Appellate Division decisions on attorney discipline are published in the New York Official Reports, online through the court system’s Law Reporting Bureau.