People

From 1999-2007, James practised exclusively in employment, pensions and employment taxes. He set up the employment law unit at his own firm, growing the team to a complement of 7 and the client base to include locally, nationally and internationally recognisable businesses working in fields ranging: from optical retail to MoD procurement; from accountancy to the entertainment industry; from banking to the environment; from mining to make-up.

During that time, James gave his one and only instruction to counsel but was otherwise instrumental in the successful appeal from the Pensions Ombudsman in Trustees of the Uppingham School Retirement Benefit Scheme for Non-Teaching Staff and another v Shillcock [2002] EWHC 641 (Ch)

James also gained substantial experience working with and against local authorities and other public bodies. He remains one of the few lawyers to appear at an Independent Person enquiry and subsequent full District Council meeting on behalf of a statutory Monitoring Officer, who was cleared of all but one, minor allegation after three years under suspension.

Since his transfer to the Bar in 2016, James’ skills and experience in employment law have been relied on for advice, assistance and advocacy by well over 100 clients, both employers and employees.

James appears in the employment tribunal frequently on behalf of public bodies.

James has historic and recent experience of all areas of employment law and is a member of the Employment Lawyers Association.

From admission to the Roll of Solicitors in 1993 to the day the Civil Procedure Rules were first used, James had a general, commercial litigation practice (including corporate control, commercial agreements, finance, franchising, distributorship chains, construction, insolvency, tax, non-domestic rates, commercial landlord and tenant, professional negligence and employment).

James was Leicestershire Law Society’s lead respondent to the Woolf Reform consultation that led to the Civil Procedure Rules.

Since 2018, James has been engaged in a number of commercial disputes, being instructed to seek orders and judgment at interlocutory stages. In addition, James has advised in several commercial matters. He is known for his commerciality, regulatory awareness, attention to detail, sound grasp of accounting and taxation principles, and the interest he takes in his clients’ businesses and business sectors.

Land Law

James started his legal career with a raft of mortgage possessions in the early 1990s recession. He moved on to squatter and traveller evictions, dilapidations claims, relief from distraint (when that was a thing), boundary disputes, power station rateable value challenges and construction problems.

James has recently re-kindled his early love of property law and is currently engaged in cases dealing with:

• Rylands v Fletcher nuisance
• Boundary determination
• Accrual of easements
• Adverse possession
• Right to light
• Negligent construction
• Negligent supervision of constructors
• Breach of planning control
• Breach of covenants in sale agreements
• Enforcing overage
• Utilities and business interruption
• Japanese Knotweed
• Solicitor and surveyor negligence
• Compensation from HMLR
• Compensation on termination of agricultural tenancies
• Compensation on termination of business tenancies

James has been instructed by two local authorities regarding breaches of planning restrictions and the unlawful use of council land.

Property Law

James received a number of instructions prior to COVID to attend section 8 and section 21 possession hearings. Two turned to trials of fact. James also had one of the first successful post-COVID possessions in Worcester. He has also seen off an enfranchisement claim. He has recently worked with two groups of tenants, one of which was seeking to take over management of its premises, the other to force the landlord’s director, who rents part of the premises, to pay his share of service charges so that works could be commissioned. His current work also includes a case requiring him to thread his way between his client (the tenant), two insurers, the builder, the landlord, the managing agent and neighbouring tenants, and it feels a bit like playing chess.

James is more au fait with commercial landlord and tenant issues surrounding rent arrears including CRAR, breach of covenants, forfeiture and relief, dilapidations, renewal and compensation for non-renewal, acting for investor landlords and developers.

James also accepts instructions in construction disputes.

James has been engaged in defending professional negligence cases since 2006. Such work formed part of his role as a managing partner when he was a solicitor and he has continued with such work for a large firm that manages its own bordereau within limits. His experience as such is exclusively in the field of solicitors’ negligence.

• James has managed cases defending professional negligence allegations in the fields of residential conveyancing, commercial conveyancing, landlord & tenant, will drafting, probate, trust advice and drafting, trust administration, tax planning, personal injury, employment, matrimonial finance, corporate finance, commercial contracts and commercial litigation.
• James has attended acted as a representative at mediation and more informal ADR meetings in professional negligence cases involving residential conveyancing, commercial conveyancing, will drafting, trust administration and tax planning.
• James has appeared in court defending professional negligence allegations in the fields of commercial conveyancing and employment law.

James has also represented claimants against surveyors, structural engineers and architects.

James has worked for various local authorities on planning enforcement. Issues have included:

• unlawful construction;
• excessive use of by-ways;
• unauthorised caravans;
• unlawful use of public space;
• encroachment on council property;
• excessive quarry extraction;
• burning industrial waste;
• unauthorised lorry park.

James has experience handling personal injury claims across the Small Claims, Fast Track, and Intermediate Track. His areas of expertise include:

• Road Traffic Accident Claims
• Occupiers Liability
• Cases involving workplace accidents/Employers Liability
• Health and Safety
• Cases involving allegations of fundamental dishonesty

James has been a litigator since starting Articles in 1991 and a barrister since 2016. He has broad knowledge of commercial, property, employment and professional negligence matters as a lawyer. He has also engaged in such matters in depth as a manager, having led his own firm from 2007-2010 through the banking crisis and subsequent recession. He has been a volunteer trustee and director of two substantial charities, helping them each through crises. A veteran mediator, he strongly believes in the power of jaw-jaw.