James Potts > Chambers of Ewan McQuater KC and David Quest KC > London, England > Barrister Profile
3 Verulam Buildings Offices
3 Verulam Buildings
GRAY'S INN
LONDON
WC1R 5NT
England
- Set Profile
- Go to...
James Potts
Position
James specialises in commercial litigation and arbitration, banking and financial services, civil fraud, energy, and regulatory & professional disciplinary law. He has substantial experience of high-value, complex commercial litigation and arbitration, and regularly appears unled in trials and interim applications as well as acting as a junior. Much of James’ work is international, including arbitrations under DIFC, LCIA, ICC and GCC Commercial Arbitration Centre rules. He has significant experience of litigation and arbitration in the Caribbean, Singapore, Malaysia, Hong Kong, and a number of Middle East jurisdictions (including Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Bahrain).
Career
Called 2011, Gray’s Inn.
Publications of note:
- Contributing editor, Phipson on Evidence (20th edition)
- Contributing editor, Mithani on Directors’ Disqualification
- Contributing author, Jordans Disciplinary and Regulatory Proceedings (8th, 9th and 10th editions)
- Contributing editor, Atkins Court Forms: Financial Services
- Contributing author, Butterworth Financial Regulation Service
Memberships
COMBAR, Chancery Bar Association, FSLA, Bar Pro Bono Unit
Education
MA (English Literature), First Class, University of Oxford (2008)
MPhil (Eighteenth Century Literature), Distinction, University of Cambridge (2009)
GDL, City University (2010)
Lawyer Rankings
London Bar > Banking and finance (including consumer credit)
(Leading Juniors)Ranked: Tier 3James Potts – 3 Verulam Buildings ‘Very hard working and technically able barrister – a good advocate.’
London Bar > Commercial litigation
(Leading Juniors)Ranked: Tier 5James Potts – 3 Verulam Buildings ‘James is extremely smart and responsive, and his drafting is first-class.’
London Bar > Financial services and fintech regulation
(Leading Juniors)Ranked: Tier 1James Potts – 3 Verulam Buildings ‘James is very knowledgeable about financial services regulation.’
London Bar > Crypto and blockchain assets
(Leading Juniors)Ranked: Tier 1James Potts – 3 Verulam Buildings ‘Excellent technically and very user friendly. One of the few barristers in the crypto space who really know their stuff.’
London Bar > Fraud: civil
(Leading Juniors)Ranked: Tier 4James Potts –3 Verulam Buildings ‘He is measured under pressure and very intellectually able.‘
The English Bar Offshore > Commercial disputes
(Leading Juniors)Ranked: Tier 3James Potts – 3 Verulam Buildings ‘James is a great tactician, able to devise legal arguments even in the most challenging litigation, goes the extra 10 miles to deliver excellent legal service, and is definitely someone to have on your team in the most difficult cases.’
3 Verulam Buildings is praised as ‘a go-to set for commercial litigation and civil fraud work’, and other areas of expertise for the members of the set include banking and finance, insolvency and restructuring, and insurance-related disputes. Freezing and disclosure orders, as well as injunctive relief mandates, are also areas of activity for the set. Among its strong roster of silks, Hodge Malek KC is a key name; called to the Bar in the BVI, he has also represented clients before courts in the Isle of Man and Gibraltar. David Quest KC is particularly skilled in handling contentious offshore mandates with financial elements, while Hefin Rees KC frequently appears before the BVI and Cayman Islands Privy Council and Courts of Appeal, as well as the Grand Court in Cayman. Matthew Hardwick KC represented a number of defendants in Joint Stock Company ‘BTA Bank’ v 54 defendants, defeating allegations of fraud made by the Kazakh bank against, among others, members of its former leadership. Turning to the juniors, Philip Hinks is strong in commercial, civil fraud, financial services, and insolvency-related disputes. James Potts is reputable for his expertise in large fraud cases, and of recent note, he acted for the claimant in Morina v McAleavey, a dispute over the ownership of shares that requires expert evidence on the history of the BVI.
Regional International Arbitration – The Bar > Commercial
(Leading Juniors)Ranked: Tier 1‘Top tier set‘ 3 Verulam Buildings has an excellent reputation for handling complex commercial arbitrations and investment treaty matters in the Asia Pacific region. Nicholas Craig KC stands out for his ‘ability to absorb a huge quantity of material and identify immediately the key points on which a dispute will turn‘. Hodge Malek KC‘s workload includes handling disputes in Hong Kong, Malaysia and Singapore, and is sought after for his expertise in advising on matters touching on cyber fraud. Among the juniors, James Potts is well known for assisting with financial disputes.