James Kane

: +44 (0)20 7691 2424
: james.kane@xxiv.co.uk
: Contact clerks
: Download vCard

James Kane has developed a busy commercial chancery practice across Chambers’ areas of interest, including company litigation and trusts and probate and in particular has developed a specialism in aviation disputes.

Recently he acted for the defendant airline in the quantum trial of the long-running litigation between FitzWalter Capital and VietJet, acted for the lessor in a dispute with an aircraft lessee over unpaid rent, including securing partial summary judgment (Rostrum Leasing 1 DAC v MAE Aircraft Management WLL [2026] EWHC 57 (Comm)), acted as sole counsel in a five day High Court trial concerning a disputed will which received extensive coverage in the national press, as well as for the administrators of an intestate estate in an interest claim involving assets situated in multiple jurisdictions and complex questions of Zambian law.

James graduated with a first-class degree in Japanese from Oxford, where he received college scholarships and a University prize for coming top of his year. He then worked as a civil servant in London and Brussels and for a think tank before coming to the Bar. He obtained Distinctions while studying the GDL and the Bar Training Course and was awarded the Inner Temple’s top scholarship for the Bar Training year, as well as winning the Times Law Awards.

Expertise

Aviation & Travel

James has an extensive aviation practice and his experience includes a secondment within the specialist aviation disputes team of a leading London firm.

Acting (with Steven Thompson KC and Erin Hitchens) for the defendant airline in the quantum trial of the long-running litigation between FitzWalter Capital and VietJet.
Acting for the lessor in a dispute with an aircraft lessee over unpaid rent, including securing partial summary judgment (Rostrum Leasing 1 DAC v MAE Aircraft Management WLL [2026] EWHC 57 (Comm)).
Acting as sole counsel for the aircraft owner in a dispute with an aircraft spare parts company, including securing partial summary judgment.
Acting for the lessor in a dispute with a group of airlines domiciled in Malaysia involving substantial jurisdictional issues.
Acting (as sole counsel) for the defendant airline in litigation brought by a travel agent over Covid-era refunds, again involving jurisdictional issues.
Drafting a summary judgment application in a claim for unpaid rent worth in excess of US$5 million.
Drafting an application in a claim for inducing breach of an aircraft lease involving complex conflict of laws issues.
Drafting pleadings in a claim for rent following constructive total loss of an aircraft.
Setting aside default judgment obtained against an airline in a claim for compensation under Regulation (EC) No 261/2004.
Assisting in preparation for an appeal in the Court of Appeal against an account of commission due from a defendant airline to a claimant travel agency (Times Travel (UK) Ltd v Pakistan International Airlines [2022] EWCA Civ 415).

Banking & Financial Services Disputes

Kigen (UK) Ltd v NOR Capital Ltd [2025] EWHC 71 (Ch): In a consequentials hearing following trial, James (as sole counsel) successfully resisted the Claimant’s application for indemnity costs on the basis of the Defendant’s rejection of a Calderbank offer.
Kigen (UK) Ltd v NOR Capital Ltd [2024] EWHC 3164 (Ch): James (as sole counsel) appeared for the Defendant in the trial of a Shorter Trials Scheme claim concerning the construction of a success fee provision fees in an agreement between an investment banking firm and a company seeking capital. The judgement described counsels’ submissions as “concise and able” and “cogent and eloquent”.
Assisting in preparations for a reference to the Upper Tribunal against disciplinary sanctions imposed by the Financial Conduct Authority.
Advising on restrictions on disclosure of information obtained from the Financial Conduct Authority.
Assisting in preparations for a claim for declaratory relief in relation to the limitation period governing complaints to the Financial Ombudsman Service (Shop Direct Finance Ltd v Official Receiver [2022] EWHC 1355 (Comm).
Advising an environmental NGO on potential breaches of duty by underwriters of bonds for fossil fuel projects.

Civil Fraud & Asset Recovery

Assisting at a four-day application hearing in a claim in relation to the misappropriation of funds

Commercial Litigation

Kigen (UK) Ltd v NOR Capital Ltd [2025] EWHC 71 (Ch): In a consequentials hearing following trial, James (as sole counsel) successfully resisted the Claimant’s application for indemnity costs on the basis of the Defendant’s rejection of a Calderbank offer.
Kigen (UK) Ltd v NOR Capital Ltd [2024] EWHC 3164 (Ch): James (as sole counsel) appeared for the Defendant in the trial of a Shorter Trials Scheme claim concerning the construction of a success fee provision fees in an agreement between an investment banking firm and a company seeking capital. The judgement described counsels’ submissions as “concise and able” and “cogent and eloquent”.
Securing the setting aside of a sham declaration of trust as part of proceedings to enforce a judgment debt
Acting (with Sarah Bayliss) for a respondent in an application for security for costs of an unfair prejudice petition (Re Solid Star Ltd [2023] EWHC 93 (Ch))
Advising (with Tim Sherwin) the defendant to a claim to enforce a personal guarantee
Setting aside a default judgment against a defendant airline
Acting for an unsuccessful claimant in costs proceedings: despite an order having been made against the claimant for costs on the indemnity basis, James succeeded in reducing the award by over 80% of the costs claimed
Drafting pleadings in a claim for unpaid fees in respect of a licensing agreement Drafting pleadings in a claim to enforce a foreign judgment

Company and partnership

Acting (with Sarah Bayliss) for a respondent in multi-million pound unfair prejudice petitions involving allegations of fraud and questions concerning directors’ obligations to scrutinise their co-directors (Re Solid Star Ltd [2023] EWHC 2277 (Ch))
Acting (with Rachael Earle of Wilberforce Chambers) for a solicitor facing allegations of breach of partnership duty from his former partner
Advising the petitioners in a petition under s 994 Companies Act 2006
Advising a company limited by guarantee in relation to allegations of electoral malpractice in a contested election for new directors
Advising in relation to a proposed unfair prejudice petition and/or application for winding up on the just and equitable ground in Gibraltar

Insolvency

James regularly appears for both creditors and debtors in bankruptcy and winding-up petitions.

In addition, he has experience of:

A petition to wind up a company already in voluntary liquidation
A contested administration application involving allegations of bias against the proposed administrators
An application for the extension of an administration
A claim against insolvent company directors for transactions at an undervalue and defrauding creditors
Assisting at the trial of a claim to recover property allegedly transferred by a bankrupt at an undervalue or defrauding creditors (Hinton v Wotherspoon [2022] EWHC 2083 (Ch))

International & Offshore

Advising in relation to a proposed unfair prejudice petition and/or application for winding up on the just and equitable ground in Gibraltar
Assisting in a judicial review of the decision of a Guernsey public body

Art, Cultural Property & Luxury Assets

Acting for the claimant tenant in a claim for damages for breach of a tenancy agreement
Acting for the claimant in a claim for nuisance caused by water damage

Trusts, Probate & Estates

Acting (with Elspeth Talbot Rice KC) for the beneficiaries of a trust in a claim for breach of trust against current and former trustees in multiple jurisdictions
Acting for the administrators of an estate in an interest claim brought by a relative of the intestate deceased
Advising (with Tim Sherwin) the executors of an estate in relation to claims of lack of capacity
Assisting in an application to remove executors
Advising on a claim under the Inheritance (Provision for Family and Dependants) Act 1975

Contact details

: +44 (0)20 7691 2424
: james.kane@xxiv.co.uk
: Contact clerks
: Download vCard

Additional information

Academic and Professional History

College Scholarship (The Queen’s College, Oxford)
Gibbs Prize (highest mark in year, University of Oxford)
Lauréat de la promotion (highest mark in year, College of Europe, Bruges)
GDL Major Scholarship (Inner Temple)
Peter Taylor Scholarship (Inner Temple’s top Bar Course award)
Times Law Awards, winner

Before coming to the Bar, James worked as a civil servant for six years in the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, the Cabinet Office and on secondment to the European Commission in Brussels. He then worked on trade policy at the Institute for Government, an independent think tank, and remains an Associate of the Institute.

Professional memberships

COMBAR (The Commercial Bar Association)
ChBA (The Chancery Bar Association)

Languages

French (proficient)

Japanese (proficient)

Italian, Spanish, Russian, and Mandarin Chinese (intermediate)

Scholarships & Prizes

College Scholarship (The Queen’s College, Oxford)

Gibbs Prize (highest mark in year, University of Oxford)

Lauréat de la promotion (highest mark in year, College of Europe, Bruges)

GDL Major Scholarship (Inner Temple)

Peter Taylor Scholarship (Inner Temple’s top Bar Course award)

Times Law Awards, winner

Business details

VAT number:: 435781475
Registered name:: James Kevin Kane

James Kane

Call 2021

Sam Dempsey

George Salvage

Ellie Sedgwick