James R. Fujimoto is a graduate of the University of Chicago (AB) and DePaul College of Law (JD). He was a partner in the immigration and civil rights law firm of Alexander, Fennerty and Fujimoto before being appointed to the Chicago Immigration Court in 1990. While an immigration judge, he was an officer with the National Association of Immigration Judges and frequently spoke at local, national and regional conferences hosted by the American Immigration Lawyers Association, the Federal Bar Association and other professional organizations.
Since leaving the bench in May 2019, he has served as an adjunct professor and senior practitioner in residence with the Asylum & Immigration Law Clinic (AILC). In the latter capacity, he provides substantive law and skills training to attorneys, Department of Justice accredited representatives and legal staff of immigrant-serving nonprofits with whom AILC partners.