James is a Partner in our Melbourne office where he specialises in complex dispute resolution. He has a broad commercial litigation practice, with a particular focus on consumer protection and regulatory litigation, technology related disputes, internal investigations, and large commercial disputes including class actions and disputes arising from transactions.
James helps clients navigate sensitive and reputationally significant risks, including those arising from regulatory investigations. He also has experience working in Asia, and was seconded to KWM’s dispute resolution team in Beijing in 2016.
Clients describe him as an “exceptional litigation lawyer”, a “technical expert” who provides “first-class support on a wide variety of complex and reputationally significant matters”, and someone who “consistently demonstrates an ability to look beyond the specific legal issue to the broader interests of our business”. He is regarded by clients as a “trusted advisor” and “reliable, down-to-earth and a good communicator”.
Recent key matters include:
- Medibank: in proceedings in the Federal Court and Supreme Court of Victoria, and in a representative complaint and investigation by the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner, arising from the cyber breach in October 2022
- Samsung Australia (water resistance capabilities of Galaxy mobile phones), Kimberly-Clark Australia (“flushable wipes”) and Coles Supermarkets (“freshly baked bread”) in consumer protection proceedings commenced by the ACCC in the Federal Court.
- Telstra in a range of disputes including: Federal Court proceedings commenced by the ACCC in relation to allegedly unconscionable sales practices; Federal Court litigation against Melbourne, Brisbane and Sydney City Councils in relation to Telstra’s new digital payphones; and in a range of other contractual, advertising, competition and technology related disputes in the Federal and Supreme Courts.
- United Petroleum: in a franchisee class action in the Supreme Court of Victoria concerning allegations of misleading or deceptive and unconscionable conduct.
- Confidential internal investigations for major corporate clients into sensitive and reputationally significant matters.
- Next Payments in Supreme Court and Federal Court proceedings concerning misuse of confidential information, breach of contract, inducing breach of contract, and misleading or deceptive conduct.
