Judge James Ware is a native of Birmingham, Alabama. Judge Ware received his B.A. degree in 1969 from California Lutheran University in Thousand Oaks, California. He was awarded Most Outstanding Senior. He received his J.D. degree in 1972 from Stanford Law School, where he received the Hilmer Ohlmer Award for excellence in research and Writing.

From 1972-1988, Judge Ware was an attorney with the firm of Ritchey, Fisher, Whitman & Klein in Palo Alto, California. He represented individuals and businesses in a wide variety of matters in state and federal court.

On November 1, 1988, Judge Ware was appointed to the Santa Clara County Superior Court. On October 1, 1990, Judge Ware was appointed to the United States District Court for the Northern District of California, where he now serves.