James W. Ewert is CNPA's general counsel and legislative advocate. Prior to becoming general counsel he was CNPA's legal cousel for 15 years. He advocates on behalf of CNPA before California's Legislature on issues relating to freedom of information, media access, workplace relations, advertising, and the environment. Ewert has been successful in getting legislation passed and signed into law prohibiting the attachment or insertion of hate literature in newspapers, protecting scholastic journalists and their advisors from censorship and prohibiting the theft of freely distributed newspapers

Ewert is an editor of The Right to Know, and a regular contributor to the CNPA Legislative Bulletin and California Publisher.

He operates CNPA's legal HelpLine, which provides general legal assistance to publishers and staff members at CNPA-member newspapers who are often confronted with a broad array of legal issues. He trains newspaper personnel and speaks to many organizations about freedom of information, fair housing, advertising, wage and hour and other issues that affect newspaper operations.

Ewert is a recipient of the James Madison Freedom of Information Award, the Beacon Award and the Senator Leland Yee Award.

He was a government and history teacher and football and wrestling coach at Alhambra High School in Southern California before becoming an attorney. He also is a former high school newspaper adviser. Prior to joining the staff at CNPA, Ewert worked as a litigation attorney specializing in construction defect law, insurance defense and worker's compensation for the law firm of Nouskajian & Cranert in South Pasadena.

Ewert is married and has two daughters.