Position

Commercial, Commercial Chancery, Partnership & Employment law. In particular: 1) international commercial litigation (registered practitioner in DIFC) 2) litigation arising out of employment/fiduciary relationships 3) Partnership work (chair of Littleton Partnership Group) LLP 4) specialist work at interface of employment and chancery work 65 insolvency law.

2019/20 instructions have included 1) BNP Paribas SA V Trattamento Rifiuiti Metropolitani S.P.A, high-value international Swaps dispute in Court of Appeal and Commercial Court 2) Promontoria (Ram 2) Ltd v Nicoll, for secured lender in Chancery appeal re: £10.5m statutory demand and at subsequent full trial of Petition (against silk and junior) 3) for defendants in leading DIFC team move case (led by Tom Montagu-Smith QC) 4) for claimants in injunctive relief applications 5) for two companies in Chancery proceedings regarding shares and options of departed executives 6) test-case ET work 7) advising and acting for individual partners and groups of partners in cases involving both discrimination and classic partnership law.

Education

Double First Class Honours (Balliol College). Masters and Doctorate. Former Lecturer at Oxford University. Also studied at Ecole Normale Supérieure.

Mentions

Middle East: The English Bar

Commercial

LEADING JUNIORS1

James Bickford Smith – Littleton Chambers ‘James is an outstanding advocate, using a combination of charm and forensic technical ability to achieve strategic and commercial goals.’

London Bar

Employment

LEADING JUNIORS4

James Bickford Smith – Littleton Chambers 'James has an encyclopedic knowledge of post-termination restriction issues and, equally impressively, knows how to utilise that knowledge to provide practical advice. Clients appreciate his calm and detailed approach.'

London Bar

Partnership

LEADING JUNIORS2

James Bickford Smith – Littleton Chambers