James S. Kirsch was appointed to the Court of Appeals of Indiana in March 1994. He teaches business law and ethics in the Purdue EMBA Programs at the Krannert School of Management. Since 1990, he has held an appointment as Visiting Professor of Law and Management at the Krannert Graduate School of Management at Purdue University. He has taught law in 23 countries and four continents and currently holds concurrent faculty appointments at the University of Tilburg in The Netherlands and Central European University in Budapest, Hungary.

Judge Kirsch served as Chief Judge from March 2004 to February 2007. He served as Judge of the Marion Superior Court from 1988 to 1994 and as presiding judge of the court in 1992. From 1974 to 1988, he practiced law with the firm of Kroger, Gardis & Regas in Indianapolis in the areas of commercial and business litigation and served as managing partner of the firm.

He is a frequent speaker and lecturer and has served on the faculty of more than 300 continuing legal education programs. He has been named a Sagamore of the Wabash by four different governors. In 2009, the Indianapolis Bar Association awarded Judge Kirsch the Hon. Paul H. Buchanan, Jr. Award of Excellence.