Before joining the firm, Jim served as a Superior Court Judge in Georgia from 2009, after being elected by the citizens of the five-county Southern Judicial Circuit. He was re-elected without opposition for two additional terms.During his tenure on the bench, he presided over civil and felony criminal trials, as well as non-jury bench trials and hearings. In his first year, Judge Tunison developed and implemented the Lowndes County Pre-Trial Release Program. In 2016, he became the first presiding judge of the Lowndes County Accountability Court, overseeing specialized tracks for drug court, mental health court, and veterans' court.In 2018, he was selected by his peers to serve as the Administrative Judge for the 2nd Judicial Administrative District of Georgia, becoming a member of the Judicial Council of Georgia, Administrative Office of the Courts as the 2nd District representative.As a member of the Council of Superior Court Judges, he served a term on the executive committee and contributed to both the Pattern Jury Instruction Committee and the Uniform Rules Committee. He played a key role as vice-chair in revising Rule 22 (media access and technology in court) and Rule 41 (motions for new trial).Before taking the bench in 2009, Jim spent 20 years in private practice, representing individuals in civil litigation and defending clients in criminal cases. His practice focused on trial advocacy, handling cases in state and federal courts, including matters involving negligence, Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) claims, and 42 U.S.C. § 1983 civil rights claims. With extensive trial experience, Jim has tried more than 80 cases to verdict in both civil and criminal courts at the state and federal levels.
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