James H. Dawdy

James H. Dawdy, III holds a Bachelor’s degree in History with a minor in Philosophy from Arizona State University, and a Juris Doctor degree from the University of New Mexico School of Law. There he received the Katherine and Ted Parnall Scholarship for Law as an Instrument of Economic Growth and Social Development and the New Mexico State Bar Real Property Section Scholarship. He made both the honor roll and dean’s lists and graduated with Clinical Honors.

Dawdy is or has been a Nationally Registered Paramedic with over 25 years of experience, including two volunteer missions to the besieged enclaves of Sarajevo and Mostar during the conflict in the former Yugoslavia, and has worked as a critical care flight paramedic, offshore medic, and remote site medic in Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Russia, and Qatar, as well as numerous other countries in Africa, the Middle East, and Asia. In 2018 he was appointed by New Mexico Governor Suzanne Martinez to a four year term on the Intrastate Mutual Aid Committee.

Mr. Dawdy was appointed by the President of the American Bar Association to the Central Europe and Eurasia Law Initiative (CEELI) Council of the ABA's Rule of Law Initiative, where he served three terms advising on legal training and assistance programs aiming to improve the rule of law in the region. He has also served as a judicial extern to the Honorable Kenneth Gonzales of the United States District Court for the District of New Mexico.

As a law clerk, Mr. Dawdy was mentored by Jacob Vigil, a Fellow of the American Association for Justice's National College of Advocacy (NCA), a past member of AAJ’s Board of Governors, and an instructor for Gerry Spence's Trial Lawyer College. Thus, Mr. Dawdy gained one-on-one instruction in complex litigation from one of the most successful medical malpractice trial attorneys in New Mexico.

Since joining the Vrdolyak Law Group, attorney Dawdy has obtained verdicts of $6 million and $2.8 million, and has successfully negotiated multiple 7-figure confidential settlements. Mr. Dawdy speaks fluent Russian and Esperanto. He is an avid science, space, history and aviation enthusiast, who has flown multiple aircraft from Cessnas to the Boeing 737.