James Luce

James Luce has always taken on tasks and positions that others might say he was too young to be doing. For his first job, he was second chair to a solo plaintiff's trial attorney. He wrote an appellate brief in his first 90 days of practice. He went to trial within his first year of practice. He started a regional law office for an out-of-state firm before he was 30. And when he turned 30, he retired from law practice to go in-house at the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association (OOIDA), an association that serves independent trucking companies.

That career path alone could certainly be considered phenomenal, but Luce's accomplishments go further. To optimize claim resolution for trucking companies, Luce created a database tracking more than 40 metrics on his claims, including judges, attorneys, mediators, settlements, and legal spend across his 48-state territory. This unique database helps Luce leverage past experiences to make the most informed decisions possible on behalf of OOIDA's members.

Luce has also been admitted as a Category II Neutral in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Missouri; although, to date, his travel schedule has not allowed him to serve in that capacity. "But I'm pleased the court admitted me to be a Category II Neutral," he says.

As for Luce's advice to young up-and-comers in the industry: "One of the things I always tried to do is work the weeks your boss is on vacation." He adds, "Work the weeks nobody else is working so you can be indispensable."