Mason started his private law practice in
Orlando, Florida, in 1971. He is a Board Certified Criminal Trial Lawyer, certified by both
The Florida Bar and the
National Board of Trial Advocacy. Mason has written legal articles, and has lectured at
the Florida State Bar,
Fredric G. Levin College of Law, and other legal associations. Mason has appeared on news media outlets including
Dateline,
Piers Morgan Tonight and
HLN, providing expert commentary. Mason retired in 2022 after 51 years practicing law.
Honors and awards Mason has received awards including the
National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers's Robert C. Heeney Memorial Award received in 2004.
Nelson Serrano trial Mason represented Nelson Serrano in his murder trial. Serrano was convicted of premeditated murder in October 2006 and has been on
death row since June 26, 2007. During the trial, in an appearance on
Dateline, Mason said he would pay $1 million to anyone who could make it from the Atlanta airport to a
La Quinta Inn in 28 minutes - as his client was accused of doing. In January 2014, U.S. District Judge
Charlene Edwards Honeywell ruled against Kolodziej, now an attorney, based on the issue that "Kolodziej was acting on edited comments by Florida lawyer James Cheney Mason that didn't reflect his true offer. As a result, there was no
mutual assent." On June 30, 2011, the defense team for Casey Anthony rested. The jury began deliberations on July 4, 2011. On July 5, 2011, Anthony was acquitted of felony murder, aggravated child abuse, and manslaughter. She was found guilty on four misdemeanors of providing false information to police. For the four convictions of providing false information, she was sentenced to four years in county jail, but with credit for time served and good behavior she was released on July 17, 2011.
Rape lawsuit against Donald Trump and Jeffrey Epstein On October 10, 2016, it was announced attorney Mason would represent a woman using the pseudonym "Jane Doe" in a case claiming that 2016 US Republican Party presidential nominee
Donald Trump and financier
Jeffrey Epstein raped her in 1994, when she was 13 years old. Judge
Ronnie Abrams scheduled the first hearing for December 16, 2016. Epstein, Trump, and Jane Doe were also to discuss the possibility of settlement and possible trial length. Abrams asked for both sides to provide information to assist the court in advancing the case to settlement or trial. After citing repeated death threats, Jane Doe dismissed the lawsuit on November 4, 2016. ==References==