James was called to the Bar in 1974.
Originally he practised from chambers in the Inner Temple on the Midland & Oxford Circuit undertaking cases in crime, family, personal injury and general common law.
Over many years, his reported cases have covered various very different areas of law, including;–
- the requisite intention to be proved when drunkenness is raised as defence to murder;
- the standard of care governing the conduct of players in competitive sports where there is physical contact between the players;
- the definition of confidential information/ trade secrets in employment contracts;
- the guideline criteria to be considered by the Court in deciding whether to award costs against a non party;
- first reported case under Inheritance Act by an independent adult child with no moral claim.
In 1999 shortly after the birth of his sixth child and in anticipation of the evisceration of Legal Aid, he applied and was taken on as a tenant by Geoffrey Vos QC (as he then was) at 3 Stone Buildings where he continues in practice today..
Having been involved in litigation for many years and a sceptic of ADR/ Mediation generally, James was, from later experience both as an advocate instructed in Mediations and due to the continuing escalation in litigation costs, converted to the benefits of ADR and persuaded to qualify as an accredited Mediator in 2020.
See James’s main profile on the Three Stone website.
Testimonials
“I would like to thank you for your invaluable assistance as Mediator in the recent dispute, which is now resolved thanks largely to you. It made the whole process infinitely gentler and saved a small fortune in fees. I am much indebted to you.”
“James made the mediation process simple and straightforward. He was always there on hand to answer any technical and legal questions thereby easing any stress associated with a personally challenging time”.
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