James is a solicitor advocate whose practice covers international arbitration, commercial litigation, and investigations. His work ranges across issues of financial litigation, shareholder disputes, general commercial, civil fraud, competition law, restructuring and insolvency, energy and commodities, telecoms, insurance, aviation, international trade, and public international law.
James is an experienced advocate and has appeared in the English High Court and arbitral hearings. He has acted in disputes under the major arbitral institutions, including the ICC, LCIA, UNCITRAL, ICSID, and DIAC, as well as in the Commercial Court and Technology & Construction Court in London and the DIFC Courts in Dubai. The majority of James’s matters are cross-jurisdictional, having acted as international co-counsel in Africa, Europe, Latin America, the Middle East and the US. He also has appellant experience before the English Court of Appeal.
James recently undertook a yearlong placement at the Court of Appeal where he served as the judicial assistant to the Chancellor of the High Court, Sir Julian Flaux. As a judicial assistant, he assisted with several high profile cases including the use of representative actions for FSMA claims (Wirral Council v Indivior & Reckitt [2025] EWCA Civ 40), the restructuring of Thames Water (Re Thames Water [2025] EWCA Civ 475), several competition law matters including the continued application of EU law (Umbrella Interchange Fee Claimants v Umbrella Interchange Fee Defendants [2024] EWCA Civ 1559) and alleged collusive conduct by major telecommunication networks (Phones4U (in administration) v EE Limited & Ors [2025] EWCA Civ 869), and the lawfulness of litigation funding agreements (Sony v Neill & Ors [2025] EWCA Civ 841).
Outside of his commercial practice, James is heavily involved in pro bono work, most notably representing litigants-in-person in both the High Court through the Chancery Litigants-In-Person Scheme and in the First Tier Tribunal (Social Security) Chamber.