James has an extensive commercial and public law practice spanning the UK and the Caribbean. His courtroom experience spans the High Court (including the Commercial Court) and County Court of England and Wales, the Supreme Court of Barbados, and the Privy Council. James is adept at handling commercial cases, especially those involving fraud claims, corporate governance issues, digital assets, or economic sanctions.
Beyond his barrister practice, James maintains a busy practice as an attorney-at-law in the Caribbean and contributes his expertise as a legal consultant for the Bank of England. Before joining the English Bar, he practised in Barbados and trained in Trinidad and Tobago. He was also a judicial assistant to Lady Justice Asplin in the English Court of Appeal.
His recent and ongoing cases showcase his diverse expertise and international scope:
- Representing a Barbadian public telecom company in a complex eight-week trial, challenging the company’s amalgamation and privatisation on behalf of 350+ shareholders.
- Advising on a prospective international commercial arbitration involving multi-billion-pound stakes (led by Simon Davenport KC).
- Representing a Caribbean businessman in an upcoming tax appeal before the Privy Council, focusing on the income tax regime in Trinidad and Tobago.
- Acted for a property developer in an appeal before the Privy Council, arising from a contractual and fraud dispute in Antigua.
- Acting for an international business person and his companies in a high-stakes oppression action in a Caribbean country involving over US$300+ million.
- Representing a public authority in a case concerning alleged civil fraud in another Caribbean country, involving over US$20m.
- Representing a Swiss entity in an arbitration under Swiss Rules, focusing on the validity of English law contracts associated with a merger of mining conglomerates (led by Richard Samuel).
- Represented an investment brokerage firm in a Bermudan claim, alleging the wrongful sale of US$100 million of bonds (led by Simon Davenport KC).
- Advised a non-designated Swiss party on a contract affected by the economic sanctions imposed on Russia (led by Richard Samuel).
James has been deeply engaged in the digital assets/blockchain space since 2017. His counsel has covered a broad spectrum of legal issues, including claims to recover digital assets, US$20m public sale and token generation events, launching and governing a decentralised autonomous organisation (DAO), issuing privacy tokens, the enforceability of simple agreements for future tokens (SAFTs), and regulatory requirements under the UK’s AML/CTF regime. He is currently advising a Swiss Foundation associated with a popular blockchain protocol (by market cap) on various issues relating to the enforceability of smart contracts, including formation, applicable law, and jurisdiction (led by Jeffrey Golden KC (Hon)).
James has an extensive Caribbean practice and has worked on disputes in Barbados, Trinidad, Antigua, Grenada, St Kitts and Nevis, Bermuda, Bahamas, and more. As a holder of the Legal Education Certificate and a Bajan citizen, he is one of a handful of English barristers entitled to practise law generally before the Bars of several Caribbean countries.
