James specialises in advising clients on all aspects of contentious and transactional construction law, both in the Middle East region and internationally, with specific expertise in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the State of Qatar.
He has lived and worked throughout the Middle East for over a decade and has represented clients in relation to some of the largest and most complex disputes in the region, through mediation, expert determination, international arbitration, and litigation.
James provides clients with the benefit of his expertise from project conception through to the resolution of disputes, and he has acted in that role as a trusted counsel over extended periods to various government entities, national oil companies, public bodies, developers, contractors and consultants across various industry sectors, including: oil and gas, roads, healthcare, petrochemical, water, rail, commercial and residential, hotels, mining, sports, power and renewable energy.
As well as having represented clients in relation to various multi-billion dollar disputes, James has advised on and drafted bespoke front-end construction documentation for projects around the globe worth tens of billions of dollars.
- Represented a Middle Eastern owner entity in an ICC arbitration against two international construction contractors concerning the design and construction of a USD 6 billion high-profile public works project in the state’s capital city, with the parties’ claims and counterclaims totaling over USD 2 billion.
- Represented a Middle Eastern owner entity against an international construction contractor concerning the design and construction of a USD 2 billion sporting facility and stadium in the state’s capital city.
- Represented a Middle Eastern contractor in relation to the wrongful termination of contract in relation to a USD 7 billion port project.
- Represented a Middle Eastern state-owned chemicals company in an ICC arbitration against two international construction contractors for claims of approximately USD 50 million for defective works at a petrochemical facility.
- Advised Petronas on all EPC, EPCM, FEED, O&M and infrastructure procurement aspects of the USD 25 billion RAPID petrochemical and refinery complex project in Johor province, Malaysia.
- Represented a Middle Eastern National Oil Company in an ICC arbitration against a University in relation to the establishment of a satellite campus and the provision of an operational safety educational programme.
- Advised a Middle Eastern National Oil Company on the drafting of its standard form well drilling suite of contracts.
- Represented a Middle Eastern state-owned railways company in an ICC arbitration against two international construction contractors on claims totaling USD 500 million relating to the design and construction of a Metro System in the capital city of the state.
- Advised a Middle Eastern state-owned chemicals company on the drafting of its internal procurement regulations.
- Represented the operator joint venture of critical transport infrastructure in a Middle Eastern state in relation to claims, contract administration matters and disputes arising out of variations totaling USD 300 million.
- Represented a Middle Eastern owner entity in ad-hoc expert determination proceedings against a subcontractor for alleged variations to works with a value of USD 100 million.
- Represented a litigation funder in relation to an ICC arbitration between two international contractors concerning claims of approximately USD 80 million under a subcontract agreement for the design and construction of certain packages at an airport in the Middle East region.
- Represented a Middle Eastern contractor in DIAC arbitration proceedings for claims of approximately USD 110 million arising out of disputes concerning a joint venture agreement for the construction of a new highway network.
- Advised the owner entity on their suite of standard form construction documentation and dispute resolution strategy for a multi-billion dollar giga-project in the Middle East.
- Represented a developer in relation to construction issues and claims arising from a USD 3.2 billion mixed-use development in the Middle East.
- Represented a Middle Eastern contractor in a pre-action advisory capacity and in the settlement of claims relating to the supply of defective materials.
- Advised a Middle Eastern state-owned project management company on the preparation and drafting of its suite of standard form construction contracts and consultant appointments.
- Advised the developer of a large-scale multi-use urban development in the capital city of a Middle Eastern state.
- Advised the National Oil Company of a Middle Eastern state on the drafting of its standard form of onshore and offshore construction documentation.
- Represented an international mining company in relation to disputes arising from a mining agreement in the Middle East.
- University of Northumbria
(LLB (Hons) Exempting, first class honours, 2007)
- Solicitor, The Senior Courts of England and Wales
- Herbert Smith Freehills LLP:
- Associate/Senior Associate, 2012-2017
- Associate/Senior Associate, 2012-2017
- Trowers & Hamlins LLP:
- Solicitor, 2009-2012
- Trainee Solicitor, 2007-2009
- ADR Team of the Year at the 2022 LexisNexis Qatar Business Law Forum Awards
- COVID-19 – Issues Affecting Performance Of Contractual Obligations In Construction Contracts: A Comparison Between English And Malaysian Law
- Speaker: Project Management on Major Projects in Qatar: A Lawyer’s Perspective – What works, what does not, how to resolve claims and avoid arbitration, Doha legal seminar series
- Speaker: Performance security in Qatar: Bonds, Parent Company Guarantees and Security: Managing the process and the risk, Doha legal seminar series
- Speaker: Common law concepts in Qatari Law Contracts, Doha legal seminar series
- Speaker: Damages under Qatari law, Doha legal seminar series
- Speaker: The FIDIC Yellow Book: Is the form “fit for purpose” for use in GCC projects, Doha legal seminar series