Mr. Bach received his undergraduate degree from Dartmouth College in 1975 and his law degree from Hastings College of the Law in 1979. He has been working with immigration cases since 1978, and has lectured and written articles on immigration law. He has been a Member of the American Immigration Lawyers Association since 1980.  In 1989, Mr. Bach was one of the first lawyers certified by the State Bar of California Board of Legal Specialization as a Certified Specialist in Immigration and Nationality Law. (Less than 8% of California immigration attorneys are Board Certified by the State Bar).  From 1987 to 1990, Mr. Bach was the head of the Immigration Law Department of Crosby, Heafey, Roach & May (now Reed Smith), one of California’s largest law firms. Mr. Bach has litigated immigration matters extensively in the U.S. federal courts, and before administrative tribunals such as the Immigration Court, Board of Immigration Appeals, Board of Alien Labor Certification Appeals, and the USCIS Appeals Administrative Office. James Bach and his wife Sharon have three teenage children; his nonprofessional interests include mountain biking, running, literature, and history.

Although licensed in California and Hawai'i, federal laws provide that Mr. Bach can represent clients in immigration matters in all 50 states, and he has corporate clients throughout the United States.  With email and overnight courier service, Mr. Bach can represent a client in New York, Denver or Dallas as efficiently and effectively as he represents the firm's Silicon Valley clients.