James is a specialist commercial litigator with 25 years of experience of handling a broad range of commercial and contractual disputes. He acts for a diverse client base and has particular expertise in multi-party and cross-jurisdictional disputes, Russian/CIS-related disputes, civil fraud, domestic and international debt recovery, and disputes involving financial spread betting/CFDs/FX and other derivative products.
His cases often involve applications for interim relief, particularly worldwide freezing orders.
He has litigated cases in a number of overseas countries including Russia, Switzerland, France, Ireland, BVI, Gibraltar, Hong Kong, Cyprus, Isle of Man, Mauritius and Curacao, and has links with the leading lawyers in these places.
Expertise
- Commercial and contractual disputes
- Russian and CIS disputes
- Civil fraud
- Debt recovery and enforcement
- Financial services disputes
- Spread betting and FX other derivative products.
- Gambling disputes
- Takeover Panel investigations
- Injunctions and other forms of interim relief
- Sport Tribunal Work including Court of Arbitration of Sport representation
Experience
Commercial & Contractual Disputes
- Obtained a worldwide freezing order for a company linked to a prominent Russian businessman in relation to a multimillion-dollar claim under a guarantee.
- Acted for FX company defending a significant claim resulting from the operation of stop losses.
- Acted in a Takeover Panel investigation into the alleged “concert party” activities of certain shareholders of an English listed gold-mining company.
- Acted for a substantial agricultural company in a contractual dispute relating to the use of a dairy farm.
Financial Services Disputes
- Successfully defended a payroll company against a multimillion-dollar claim brought by a substantial US-based investment firm.
- Acted for a spread betting company in defeating a claim for significant damages based upon an allegation that unlawful advice had been provided to a client.
- Acted for another spread betting company in defeating a claim for significant damages based upon an allegation of breach of statutory duty.
Arbitration
- Obtained a multimillion-dollar award on behalf of an international client in the London Court of International Arbitration.
- Represented an athlete before the Court of Arbitration of Sport in relation to a doping charge and motor sport participants before disciplinary tribunals.
Civil Fraud
- Acted for successful defendants co-accused of defrauding in excess of USD$100 million from Russian state-owned airline Aeroflot Airlines. Obtained an indemnity costs order on behalf of the clients following a contested hearing.
- Opposed the jurisdiction of the English Court on behalf of two further international companies in the above proceedings, both at first instance and in the Court of Appeal.
Gambling
- Acted for Forex Capital Markets Limited in defeating a claim for c£3m brought by a private client for damages pertaining to his trading account. FXCM recovered a sizeable chunk of its expended costs as the successful party. It was the first case on application of the FCA Rules under MiFID II.
- Advised Trade Nation, a spread betting firm, on various potentially litigious matters.
- Acted for a spread betting company in defeating a claim for significant damages based upon an allegation that unlawful advice had been provided to a client.
- Acted for a spread betting company in defeating a claim for significant damages based upon an allegation of breach of statutory duty.
Property Disputes
- Acted for a property developer client in bringing a claim for public nuisance against London Council in relation to significant losses caused to a substantial residential property by tree root damage.
- Acted for a high-profile individual in opposing an application for the construction of an “iceberg” basement in the garden of a residential property based in a well-known London street.
Please note: The experience list above may include examples of work completed prior to joining Keystone Law.
Recognition
Recognised by The Legal 500 for Commercial Litigation: Mid Market (2023-2024)
Recognised by The Legal 500 2021 for Commercial Litigation
Career
James qualified as a solicitor in 1993. Prior to joining Keystone Law in 2019, he worked at Streathers Solicitors.