James Lonergan took his Bachelor of Arts degree from Columbia College in 1982 and Juris Doctorate from Fordham University School of Law in 1989. He then entered practice at Van DeWater & Van DeWater, Poughkeepsie, before moving to Wilkie & Graff, Kingston. In 1997, he established a private practice that he continues today with his brother, Michael.
He is a member of the Ulster County Bar and the New York State Bar Associations. James acted as counsel to the Woodstock Arts Board, Inc. during its protracted grass-roots effort to purchase the Woodstock Playhouse property and later served as its president. He has tutored and taught reading through the Ulster County Literacy Association and served as a Den Leader for the then active Cub Scouts of America Woodstock Pack 66.
He published a collection of poetry entitled Poached Dreams in 2010. His poems have appeared in Chronogram, The Wawayanda Review and the Millay Society publication, Zephyr. When away from the desk, Jim bicycles regularly with riders from Overlook Mountain Bikes and in the mountains of San Miguel de Allende, Mexico. His wife, Joan, is a local realtor and co-owner of Coldwell Banker Village Green Realty, Inc. His son and three daughters live with the unemancipated of his nine grandchildren between Brooklyn and the greater Kingston area.