James practises in corporate and commercial law, finance and securities, intellectual property, franchising, taxation and structuring, and privacy law. He also has extensive experience in consumer and competition law, and risk and regulatory compliance.

James is highly experienced in mergers and acquisitions (including complex and cross-border transactions), capital raising (with rights issues, placements, venture capital and hybrid instruments such as SAFE and Convertible Notes), private equity, corporate restructures, constitutional and corporate governance matters, directors’ duties and liabilities, shareholder and director relations and disputes, and employee share plans.

His client base includes listed and unlisted companies, as well as small businesses and private clients. James’ practice extends across a broad range of industries, including construction, tourism, education, fast moving consumer goods (FMCG), technology, media and telecommunications, government, financial services, not-for-profit, and sports and entertainment.

James has a passion for assisting clients in devising and implementing complex business structures, and in drafting, reviewing and negotiating intricate commercial contracts. James also has expertise in guiding his clients on rapidly evolving risk and regulatory frameworks, including ESG and climate risk reporting, data protection and privacy obligations, cybersecurity and foreign investment requirements.

James has a deeply inquiring mind and a knack for delivering innovative, creative and cost-effective solutions for his clients. An entrepreneur at heart, James provides his clients with a unique blend of strong legal technical knowledge and experience, as well as key strategic business and risk insights and a strong understanding of what it means to grow and successfully operate a business. These qualities have led to various invitations on Boards and Advisory Committees. James has previously worked internationally as an in-house lawyer, underpinning the company’s global expansion while meeting complex cross-border regulatory requirements, and has successfully led major projects and negotiated commercial outcomes for his clients both in Australia and overseas.