James V. Irving was born and raised in Gloucester, Massachusetts. He is a graduate of the University of Virginia (UVA), where he majored in English. He holds a law degree from the College of William and Mary and is a member of the bars of Virginia, Maryland, the District of Columbia and Massachusetts.After completing his undergraduate studies at UVA, Mr. Irving spent two years employed as a private detective in Northern Virginia, where he pursued wayward spouses, located skips, investigated insurance claims and handled criminal investigations. In his early years as a lawyer, he practiced criminal law, which along with his investigative experience and trial work, informs this fictional account of Joth Proctor, an under-employed criminal defense lawyer faced with spiraling personal and professional challenges which put his livelihood, and ultimately his personal freedom, at risk.Mr. Irving is a shareholder of Bean, Kinney & Korman, P.C. in Arlington, Virginia, where he practices business law. He and his wife, Cindy, live in Arlington County and have one daughter, Lindsay.