Henderson Chambers

James practices in three core areas: group actions (in particular in product liability and industrial disease cases); general commercial law; and employment.

Recent high-profile instructions include: the VW Vehicle Emissions litigation; the Pan NOx diesel emissions litigation; the JLR DPF group litigation; the Fundao Dam litigation; the Seroxat product liability group litigation; and the Cape v Dring litigation concerning non-party access to documents used in court, which reached the Supreme Court in February 2019. He has also been acting for AstraZeneca on inquests and civil claims in relation to its Covid-19 vaccine. He has considerable experience of acting for Government departments in industrial disease litigation.

James also maintains an active product liability practice in unitary actions, in claims under the Consumer Protection Act 1987 and at common law.

James has a broad employment practice acting for both Claimants and Respondents. He has wide experience of all aspects of statutory employment work including employment status, unfair dismissal, TUPE, discrimination, redundancy and whistleblowing. He appears frequently in the Employment Tribunal and EAT. He is also experienced in employment and business protection litigation in the civil courts involving employee competition, confidential information, wrongful dismissal and restrictive covenants. James has a particular interest in the law of working time and worker status, and acted as sole counsel for the claimant throughout one of the most significant cases on holiday pay to reach the ECJ in recent years: King v Sash Window Workshop Ltd C-214/16. Helped by his experience in group actions and personal injury, particularly industrial disease, James is also familiar with the law of employer’s liability, health and safety and workplace injury claims, and acts in inquests and criminal H&S proceedings in these areas. His commercial background means he is also happy to advise in employment disputes with a commercial dimension such as unfair prejudice claims, TUPE issues in an M&A context and bonus cases.

Before coming to the bar, James spent two years as an associate solicitor in the corporate group at Slaughter and May, experience which has informed his commercial practice. Current or recent High Court instructions include acting for Aon in claims arising from the Chapecoense FC air crash in 2016; for a defence supplier suing the MoD for corrupt procurement practices; and for a local authority seeking to recover funds from a collection agent.

Qualified as a solicitor 2008; Called 2010, Inner Temple; Judicial Assistant at the Court of Appeal (Arden LJ) in 2010; Junior Counsel to the Crown 2014-19 (C Panel), 2021-2026 (B Panel), and 2026 – date (A Panel).

French

ELBA; ELA; COMBAR.