In 2010, James Daily faced three things no lawyer ever asks for: the feds were calling him; he was being sued for $500 million; and subsequently, he was on the front page of the Wall Street Journal. After establishing a prestigious career in law, Daily was now the one who needed a lawyer — all because he did the right thing. He had reported embezzlement, and this was payback.
A Boy Scout Goes West
Daily grew up in rural Wisconsin, a member of the 4-H club and the Boy Scouts. “I knew I wanted to be a lawyer in the fourth grade,” touts Daily. In elementary school, he accidentally knocked over his friend’s lunchbox, breaking his thermos. “Daily, I’m going to sue you,” his friend said. “Sue me? I’m going to sue you!” rebutted Daily. From that moment on, Daily knew he wanted to go into law.
Daily studied at University of Wisconsin-Whitewater as an undergraduate, and after seeing a brochure depicting Pepperdine University in Malibu in the dead of a Wisconsin winter, he went west. Two and a half years later, Daily graduated Pepperdine Law School and passed the bar a half-year ahead of his class. At 24, he was a practicing lawyer.
