James D. Riddet

James is a partner in the firm of Stokke & Riddet, which specializes in defending criminal cases in state and federal courts. Most of his practice consists of defending white collar cases in federal court. He has handled cases in several federal districts throughout the United States and has tried a number of lengthy and complex cases. Mr. Riddet obtained his BS degree from Indiana University and his Doctor of Jurisprudence Degree from Indiana University School of Law. He was admitted to the California Bar in January, 1967 and began practicing in Orange County immediately thereafter. He is also admitted to the following courts: United States Supreme Court, United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, United States District Court for the Central, Southern, Eastern and Northern Districts, United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit.

Mr. Riddet is a Fellow in the American College of Trial Lawyers, an organization composed of the best of the trial bar in which invitation is extended only after careful investigation and in which membership is limited to one per cent of the total lawyer population of any state. He has also been listed in the publication Best Lawyers of America since the publication first came out over 15 years ago. He is also certified by the California State Bar as a specialist in criminal law.

Mr. Riddet has been the member of several governing boards including the Board of Governors for the Orange County Bar Association, the Board of Directors for the California Attorneys For Criminal Justice and the Board of Directors for the Federal Bar Association. He has also served by appointment of the Chief Judge on the Magistrate’s Selection Committee and the Disciplinary Committee for the United States District Court for the Central District of California and he has twice been selected as a lawyer delegate to the Ninth Circuit Judicial Conference, once serving as co-chair of the lawyer delegation.

Mr. Riddet has lectured on the subject of criminal law at various seminars and has served as the Chair of the Southern Division CJA Panel for the United States District Court for the Central District of California. That position involved the selection of the attorneys to serve on the CJA panel and participation in training.
In his 39 years of practice, Mr. Riddet has represented many professionals, business executives and others in a variety of cases. He was also chosen by the Lord Chancellor of England to represent his son in a criminal case in Orange County.

Mr. Riddet lives with his wife Becky in Huntington Harbour. They have one adult daughter and two grandchildren. Jim enjoys playing the piano in his spare time and he and his wife enjoy traveling and spending time with family mostly with their daughter, son-in-law and grandchildren.

Contact Attorney James Riddet : jriddet@stokkeriddet.com