XXIV Old Buildings

James regularly appears in the High Court and the County Court and has developed a busy commercial chancery practice, in particular in company and insolvency, real property and trust, estates and probate disputes. He welcomes instructions across Chambers’ areas of specialism and is happy to work both as sole counsel and as part of a wider team.

James has built a strong company and insolvency law practice. He has acted in a long-running multi-million pound unfair prejudice petition under section 994 of the Companies Act involving the responsibility of directors to scrutinise their co-directors’ actions (Re Solid Star [2023] EWHC 93 (Ch); [2023] EWHC  2277 (Ch); [2024] EWHC 1816 (Ch); [2024] EWHC 2139 (Ch)). He also acted as junior counsel for a solicitor in a novel claim for breach of partnership duties. He regularly acts for both creditors and debtors in company and personal insolvency proceedings and appeared recently as sole counsel at the three-day hearing of a bankruptcy petition involving complex questions of law and contested factual evidence.

James’s real property practice is also extensive. He has recently advised on a novel and interesting case involving the liability of trustees facing a claim for a cladding remediation order under the Building Safety Act 2022. He appears for both claimants and defendants in possession claims, ranging from acting for a commercial landlord seeking to forfeit a tenancy for breach of covenant to representing a homeowner in a claim based on an allegedly forged mortgage deed.

James also has a busy practice in the trusts and probate field, where his current and recent work includes acting for the administrators of an intestate estate in an interest claim involving assets situated in multiple jurisdictions and complex questions of foreign adoption law, as well as acting (with Elspeth Talbot Rice KC) for beneficiaries bringing a claim for breach of trust against current and former trustees in multiple jurisdictions. He regularly advises on claims in relation to testamentary capacity, undue influence and under the Inheritance (Provision for Family and Dependents) Act 1975.

French (proficient), Japanese (proficient) , Mandarin Chinese (moderate)

BA Oriental Studies (First Class), The Queen’s College, Oxford

MA International Relations (Mention excellent), College of Europe, Bruges

Graduate Diploma in Law (Distinction), BPP Law School

Bar Training Course (Distinction), BPP Law School