James “Tony” Towns, Esq., currently serves as a Senior Assistant Attorney General in the Civil Rights & Elder Justice Section (CREJS) of the Public Advocacy Division at the Office of the Attorney General for the District of Columbia (OAG). Mr. Towns has held various influential positions at OAG, including Director of Community Engagement in the Immediate Office & Senior Staff. Before his current role, he served as an Assistant Attorney General in the Civil Division, where he defended the District in tort and constitutional claims in both the local and federal courts in the District of Columbia.

Mr. Towns was recognized with the Special Act or Service Award in 2012 and 2019. In 2022, he was honored with the Distinguished Service Award as part of the trial team that successfully prosecuted a case of source of income discrimination against a property management company, resulting in the largest penalty ever awarded in a housing discrimination case in U.S. history. 

Before joining the OAG, Mr. Towns practiced law at Jones & Towns, PLLC, Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company, worked as an Associate at Carr Goodson & Lee, P.C., and was an Attorney Advisor in the Executive Office of the President, Office of National Drug Control Policy.

Mr. Towns received his Bachelor of Arts degree from Morehouse College and Juris Doctor from Georgetown University Law Center. Following law school, he clerked for the Honorable Reggie B. Walton on the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. He later earned his LL.M. in Trial Advocacy from Temple University Law School.