Douglas James

Commercial

Douglas is regularly instructed in commercial disputes. He has experience of a wide range of commercial matters involving: the sale of goods; the supply of services; jurisdiction and conflict of laws; guarantees and indemnities; unjust enrichment; agency; bailment and conversion; credit hire disputes; and corporate and personal insolvency.

Selected Cases

Douglas’s recent instructions include:

• Re Golubovich: claim for possession of c. 17m of fine art and jewellery (led by Rupert D’Cruz KC); succeeded in defending a jurisdiction challenge by the Part 20 Defendant: [2021] EWHC 2099 (Ch), upheld on appeal [2022] EWHC 1605 (Ch).
• 1^st Equity v HBOS: £8m claim against a high-street bank concerning alleged breaches of long-term agency licensing agreements, including implied terms of good faith (assisting Jason Evans-Tovey).
• Willmott Dixon Interiors Ltd v Holmes (UK) Ltd: £2.1m adjudication on a disputed parent company guarantee.
• Acting for a sports advertising agency in a €900k LCIA arbitration for anticipatory breach and repudiation against a Russian pharma company.
• Acting for an international retailer in a c. £200k sale of goods dispute.
• Advising on conversion in a c. £100k chain of sales of agricultural machinery.

Awards

City University and Lincoln’s Inn

• Eastham scholar (Pupillage award, Lincoln’s Inn, 2015)
• Buchanan Prize (BPTC award, Lincoln’s Inn, 2015)
• Berwin Leighton Paisner Prize for best law-school team, Worshipful Company of Arbitrators arbitration competition, 2015 (representing City University)
• Lord Denning scholar (BPTC scholarship, Lincoln’s Inn, 2014)
• Monckton Prize for EU Law (City University, 2014)
• Winner, University of Southampton IV moot (representing Lincoln’s Inn, 2014)
• Lord Bowen scholar (GDL scholarship, Lincoln’s Inn, 2013)
• Hardwicke scholar (Entrance award, Lincoln’s Inn, 2013)

King’s College London

• Wellcome scholar (full stipendiary PhD scholarship, 2010-13)
• Society for the Social History of Medicine bursary (2012)
• Arts and Humanities Research Council scholar (MA scholarship, 2009-10)

UCL

• Elizabeth Margaret Dale Cast Prize (top overall degree, 2009)
• Dean’s List (2009)
• Professor Joel Hurstfield Prize (top in 2nd year, 2008)
• Dolley Prize (top in 1st year, 2007)

News

• Douglas James successfully defends a jurisdiction challenge by a Part 20 Defendant in a dispute over the ownership of a valuable art collection

Articles

• LADs: Are they always recoverable?
• The Motor Vehicles (Compulsory Insurance) (Miscellaneous Amendments) Regulations 2019

Read more

Qualifications

• 2015 – BPTC – City University – Outstanding
• 2014 – GDL – City University – Distinction
• 2013 – PhD History (Portraits of early-modern patients) – King’s College London
• 2010 – MA Early Modern History – King’s College London – Distinction
• 2009 – BA (Hons) History – University College London – First Class (top in year)

Memberships

• SCL
• TECBAR
• COMBAR