James W. Childress retired from the active practice of law in January 2022.  He is a native of St. Louis. He received his B.S. in Business Administration and J.D. degree from St. Louis University. Jim was a founding member of the law firm of Childress Ahlheim Cary LLC. 

For more than 40 years, Jim was a trial lawyer. He represented clients in almost every aspect of civil litigation, including products liability, medical device litigation, insurance claims, premises and automotive cases, and class action litigation. Jim tried cases in almost every county in the eastern half of Missouri as well as the U.S. District Courts in the Eastern District of Missouri. He argued appellate cases in the state courts of appeal of the Eastern and Western Districts, the Missouri Supreme Court as well as the U.S. Court of Appeals.

Jim has been recognized by the St. Louis County Bar Association as recipient of the Outstanding Young Lawyer Award. Recognized as A.V. preeminent Lawyer by Martindale Hubbel, he has been named a Super Lawyer since 2008. Jim has been a featured speaker for groups such as Missouri United School Insurance Council, St. Louis University School of Law, Lawyers Association, St. Louis Metropolitan Bar Association as well as others.