James A. Cotton
Associate Professor of Law

Joined Faculty 1995

Education:
A.A., 1961 Mesa College
B.A., 1963 The Colorado College
J.D., 1970 University Of Colorado

Phone: (713) 313-4471

Fax: (713) 565-4935

Email: James Cotton

Biographical Information
Mr. Cotton is a graduate of The Colorado College. Upon graduation in 1963 he was commissioned a Second Lieutenant in the United States Army. He served in Fort Eustis, Virginia, Germany and The Republic of Viet Nam. He was honorably discharged with the rank of Capatain in 1967.

He graduated from the University of Colorado School of Law and joined the International Business Machines Corporation Law Department in 1970. During his career he has had assignments at the World Headquarters of the IBM company, in Armonk, New York; in Poughkeepsie, New York; Boulder, Colorado; Tucson, Arizona; and Houston, Texas. After Houston he returned to Armonk as Senior Attorney and Securities Law Specialist on the Corporate Legal Staff. In March, 1987 he joined the Real Estate and Construction Division of IBM taking on regional responsibility for IBM's Southeastern and Midwestern Regional Offices. He was promoted to Corporate Staff Counsel in 1990. At his retirement on December 31, 1995 his responsibilities included all commerical leasing for the IBM company in the continental United States, Alaska and Hawaii.

In 1985 he received the Law Alumni Award for Distinguished Achievement as Corporate Counsel from the University of Colorado School of Law. Mr. Cotton has been recognized in Who's Who in American Law (5th Edition 1987/88) to the present. When Mr. Cotton retired on December 31, 1995 from the IBM Law Department he was the first African-American to do so. Since his retirement from IBM he has taken a position as Associate Professor of Law at Texas Sourthern University's Thurgood Marshall School of Law. He teeaches Business Associations, Corporate Practice Seminar, Securities Regulation, and Unfair Trade Practices. Mr. Cotton served as Interim Associate Dean of Thurgood Marshall School of Law during academic year 2002-2003.

Affiliations
American Bar Association
National Bar Association
Houston Bar Association
Research and Teaching Interests
Business Associations,
Securities Regulation,
Unfair Trade Practices
Seminar In Corporate

Publications
Toward Fairness in Compensation of Management and Labor: Compensation Ratios, A Proposal for Disclosure,18 N. Ill. U. L. rev. 157 (1997)
Another Nail In The Coffin Of The Small Investor: The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, 17 Touro L. Rev. 733 (summer 2001)