James O. Ruane


James O'Neill "Jay" Ruane is an American criminal defense attorney, writer, and legal educator based in Connecticut. He has argued multiple cases before the Connecticut Appellate Court and written several legal books on DUI and criminal defense. Ruane has served as President of the Connecticut Criminal Defense Lawyers Association. He was also appointed Connecticut State Delegate to the DUI Defense">Driving under the influence">DUI Defense and has served on its faculty. In addition, Ruane is the managing partner of Ruane Attorneys at Law, which is Connecticut's largest criminal defense firm by attorney count.

Early life and education

James O'Neill Ruane was born on July 24, 1972, in Jersey City, New Jersey. He is the son of attorney James J. Ruane, who founded a criminal defense practice in 1978. James O. Ruane attended the University of Scranton, graduating in 1994 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in history. He earned his Juris Doctor from the University of Connecticut School of Law in 1998.
While in law school, Ruane was a law clerk and later began his career as a public defender in Connecticut. He was admitted to the bar in 1998.

Legal career

Ruane was admitted to the Connecticut Bar in 1998. He was also admitted to the New York State Bar in 2015. In 2004, he was admitted to practice before the Supreme Court of the United States.
He began his career in the Connecticut Public Defender's Office before joining his father's practice, which later became Ruane Attorneys at Law, LLC. In 2001, James "Jay" Ruane and his father James J. Ruane co-founded Ruane Attorneys at Law. It is the largest criminal defense firm in Connecticut by attorney count as of 2025. The firm is headquartered in Shelton, Connecticut and has more than 14 attorneys. In 2023, Ruane launched The Criminal Mastermind, a group coaching program designed for individual and small firm criminal defense lawyers.

Appellate and notable cases

Ruane has served as counsel of record in several significant Connecticut appellate decisions, including:
  • State v. Pjura — DUI appeal before the Connecticut Appellate Court, where Ruane represented the appellant.
  • State v. Kelley — Appellate decision addressing DUI precedent, with Ruane listed as counsel for appellant.
  • Newland v. Commissioner of Correction — Habeas corpus appeal before the Connecticut Appellate Court, with Ruane representing the petitioner and overturning a wrongful conviction.
Other notable cases include State v. Zamora, State v. Hood, State v. Stash, and State v. Popeleski, which involved constitutional and evidentiary issues in criminal defense litigation. Ruane Attorneys served as lead counsel in the post-conviction litigation that resulted in the exonerations of Marquis Jackson and Darcus Henry, who were wrongfully convicted of murder in Connecticut. Their exonerations are documented by the National Registry of Exonerations.
Ruane has testified on DUI defense, field sobriety testing, and breath testing procedures. He also has testified on Connecticut DUI law in post-conviction proceedings in Connecticut and before the Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles.

Conferences and lectures

Ruane frequently presents at national legal conferences, including those hosted by the DUI Defense Lawyers Association, the Connecticut Bar Association, and the District of Columbia Bar, the National College for DUI Defense, the Oklahoma Criminal Defense Lawyers Association, and more.
Ruane has also lectured to law students, attorneys, and judges on DUI defense and law practice topics, and he regularly contributes to training programs through the National College for DUI Defense, where he has served as faculty for public defender training in Connecticut. In addition, he is the co-host of The Law Firm Blueprint podcast and host of The Criminal Mastermind and Connecticut Criminal Defense Law podcasts.

Affiliations

Ruane has served as President of the Connecticut Criminal Defense Lawyers Association. He was also appointed Connecticut State Delegate to the National College for DUI Defense and has served on its faculty. In addition, he was recognized as CLE faculty by the Connecticut Bar Association, DUIDLA, and the DC Bar.

Publications

Books

Ruane has authored or co-authored more than eight books on DUI defense, criminal law, and law practice management. These include:
  • The Connecticut DUI Trial Handbook, co-authored with James J. Ruane, Jennifer Sanfilippo, and Cassandra Boskello..
  • The Connecticut Criminal Trial Handbook,
  • The Connecticut DUI Guide, co-authored with Teresa DiNardi and Jennifer Sanfilippo..
  • Lady DUI's Connecticut DUI Survival Guide, co-authored with Teresa DiNardi and Jennifer Sanfilippo..
  • The Connecticut Habeas Corpus Guide
  • Tiger Tactics: Powerful Strategies for Winning Law Firms, co-authored with Ryan McKeen, Billie Tarascio, William Umansky, and Theresa DeGray..
  • 1 Day MBA for Lawyers. ISBN 9781641056072.

Articles

Ruane has contributed regularly to The Champion, the official magazine of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers. Some articles include:
  • "Closing Arguments: Powerful Visuals Pack a Punch"
  • "What Should the Defense Lawyer Do When a Juror Is Sleeping or Not Paying Attention?"

Other publications

Ruane was written articles for the Connecticut Law Tribune on criminal defense, law practice management, and trial scheduling. He is listed as a co-author in Nesci's Arizona DUI Defense: The Law & Practice.