Senior Practice Manager
Practice Manager
Assistant Practice Manager
James has a broad commercial and private wealth disputes practice. His work encompasses civil fraud, trusts, commercial and company disputes, banking and financial services, art and cultural property, and contentious probate and estates.
James is recommended as a leading junior in the legal directories, in which he is identified as “everything you’d want in a junior barrister” and “very much one to watch”. Described as “fantastically clever and hard-working” he is “able to come up with brilliant solutions”, and “knows how to deliver his advice in a manner which is practical, commercial, and readily understandable to clients”.
He acts for an extremely wide range of clients, including individuals, businesses, and office-holders from all over the world. He is experienced in acting as sole counsel in cases across his areas of specialism, and regularly appears in court, both at interim hearings and at trial. He also very frequently acts as part of a larger team in substantial and complex disputes. Many of his cases involve working with lawyers and clients from other jurisdictions. He has particular recent experience of disputes taking place in Guernsey, Jersey, the Bahamas, Bermuda, Hong Kong, and Gibraltar.
James has rapidly developed a specialism in art and cultural property matters. He is ranked as a leading junior in this practice area in both Chambers and Partners and the Legal 500, where he is described as “extremely bright and knowledgeable on the law” and “very practical in his advice…excellent at distilling complex legal concepts into a readily understandable form”.
Notable cases include:
James has experience acting for investors, finance professionals, and regulated entities in disputes concerning financial services.
His experience includes claims brought under sections 90 and 90A of FSMA, mis-selling claims, claims concerning alleged negligent investment advice, and cases requiring detailed consideration of the COBS rules and FSMA regime.
Notable cases include:
James is identified as a leading junior for civil fraud in Chambers and Partners, where he is described as “detail-oriented, responsive and everything you’d want in a junior”. He has a wide range of experience of civil fraud and asset tracing cases, from the early stages of proceedings (including freezing and proprietary injunctions) through to trial.
Notable cases include:
James acts in a very wide range of commercial disputes. As well as advising and acting in contractual disputes of all shapes and sizes in a wide variety of sectors, James is very frequently instructed on cases which overlap with other areas of his commercial chancery practice, including cases involving issues of company law, fiduciary duties, fraud, and insolvency.
James is recommended as a leading junior for commercial disputes in the Legal 500 (Offshore), where he is described as “very responsive…spots issues and potential pitfalls before they are even on the horizon”.
Notable cases include:
James regularly acts in disputes involving issues of company and partnership law. His experience includes claims for breaches of directors’ duties, derivative claims, unfair prejudice petitions, and winding up petitions on the just and equitable ground. He also very frequently acts in cases concerning companies that form part of trust structures.
Notable cases include:
James has experience in both the High Court and County Court in both corporate and personal insolvency proceedings. He acts for petitioners, debtors, and supporting creditors on bankruptcy and winding up petitions and at other related insolvency hearings, including applications to set aside statutory demands and applications for injunctions to restrain the presentation of a winding up petition.
James also advises and acts in insolvency proceedings and disputes arising under the Insolvency Act 1986 in the course of a bankruptcy or liquidation, including, for example, in respect of void dispositions of property under section 127 of the Act, the antecedent transaction provisions at sections 238-245 of the Act, and claims under section 423 of the Act for transactions defrauding creditors.
James is experienced acting across his practice areas supporting local counsel in legal proceedings taking place in other jurisdictions, including Guernsey, Jersey, the Bahamas, Bermuda, Hong Kong and Gibraltar. A substantial proportion of his cases involve proceedings abroad (often in more than one jurisdiction). He also has experience litigating conflicts of law issues, including jurisdiction and service disputes and anti-suit injunctions; as well as dealing with issues of foreign law in English proceedings (including experience cross-examining foreign-law expert witnesses).
James is recognised as a leading junior for disputes concerning trusts and estates in Chambers and Partners UK Bar, Chambers and Partners HNW, and the Legal 500, in which he is described as “extremely user-friendly and consistently brilliant”, “a star in the making…very intelligent and able to come up with brilliant solutions”, “very sensible and pragmatic” and “one of the brightest lawyers that I have worked with”.
James’s trusts experience spans claims for the removal of trustees; claims for breach of trust; applications for accounts and the provision of trust information; claims under Part 64 (and its equivalent in foreign jurisdictions) in respect of the administration of trusts, including Beddoe applications; disputes concerning trusts of land; proprietary estoppel claims; rescission and rectification claims.
James’s probate and estates experience encompasses contentious probate actions, involving allegations of undue influence, want of knowledge and approval, lack of testamentary capacity, and defective execution; claims under the Inheritance (Provision for Family and Dependants) Act 1975; and claims for the removal of personal representatives.
Notable cases include:
Art and Cultural Property Law
Chambers and Partners
‘James is good in conference and has good people skills. He boils complicated law down and deciphers it for clients to understand so they know what we are trying to achieve.’ ‘Not only does he have a great legal mind and attention to detail, he is also very practical in his advice. He is excellent at distilling complex legal concepts into a readily understandable form.’‘James was always on hand to provide advice and assistance both to the client and to us as instructing solicitors.’ (2025)
Legal 500
‘James is extremely bright and knowledgeable on the law but also knows how to deliver his advice in a manner which is practical, commercial and readily understandable to clients.’ (2025)
‘Very much one to watch.’ ‘Hugely clever, hugely personable, and brilliant at presenting a case in a way that a judge can easily grasp and be persuaded by.’ (2023)
Private Client: Trust and Probate
Legal 500
‘James is a star in the making. He is very intelligent and able to come up with brilliant solutions.’ (2025)
Ranked as a rising star in (2024).
Chancery: Traditional
Chambers and Partners
‘James is fantastically clever and hard-working. I really enjoy working with him across the spectrum of cases.’ ‘He is one of the brightest lawyers that I have worked with. He produces really excellent written advocacy and is very sensible and pragmatic.’ ‘He is one of the up-and-coming barristers at the set. He is incredibly clever and is able to pick up complicated matters very quickly. A star of the future.’ (2025)
‘Personable and professional, James has excellent legal knowledge and a good manner with clients.’ (2024)
“Excellent legal knowledge and manner with clients” (Chambers High Net Worth 2023)
Offshore
Legal 500
‘James has a great attention to detail and impresses with his detailed knowledge of a case. His advice is always clear and to the point.’ (2025)
Fraud: Civil – London (Bar)
Chambers and Partners
‘James is a very good drafter and very analytical.’ ‘James is detail-oriented, responsive and everything you’d want in a junior.’ ‘He is very clear and concise. He has an otherworldly cleverness and eye for detail.’ (2025)
