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James is superb. His advocacy is top drawer, and his attention to detail is excellent. He is a great team member, and I thoroughly enjoy working with him. Chambers & Partners UK Bar 2026
James Potts is absolutely brilliant. Its a results business and he delivers on that front consistently. His advocacy is excellent. Chambers & Partners UK Bar 2026
He is very enthusiastic, determined, competitive and someone who likes to win. James knows company law inside out and has good judgement as to how judges and arbitrators will think. Chambers & Partners UK Bar 2026
James is extremely personable and there is almost nobody in the market with more knowledge of shareholder disputes than he has. Legal 500 UK Bar 2024
Corporate
  • Reductions of capital
  • Cross-border M&A
  • Schemes of arrangement
  • Takeovers
  • Conduct of meetings
  • Company advisory
  • Shareholder disputes
  • Joint venture dispute

James is one of the leading company law silks (Legal 500 and Band 1 in Chambers) with extensive experience in shareholder disputes, corporate governance, directors’ duties, business acquisitions, joint ventures and corporate control litigation. He is regularly instructed in disputes involving complex ownership structures, boardroom disputes, unfair prejudice petitions and contested corporate transactions.

 Selected recent cases:

 1Globe Capital LLD v Sinovac Biotech Ltd (Privy Council): challenge concerning corporate governance, shareholder rights and poison-pill arrangements.

 MILFAM LLC v Morrow, Smith and Scully Royalty (Cayman): acted for successful defendants in high-profile proxy battle concerning contested election of directors, interpretation of articles and tricky circulars.

Confidential unfair prejudice arbitration concerning £1bn business.

Singapore arbitration concerning drag and tag rights in corporate transaction.

Transaction work includes schemes of arrangement, reductions of capital and associated court applications: Re Inmarsat Plc [2019] EWCHC 3470 (ChD); Re Dee Valley [2017] EWHC 184 (Ch).

Restructuring & Insolvency
  • Winding up
  • Administration
  • CVAs
  • Receivership
  • Contentious insolvency
  • Cross-border issues
  • Directors’ disqualification
  • Misfeasance
  • Company charges

James is recognised by the directories as one of the leading restructuring and insolvency silks and is regularly instructed in complex domestic and cross-border contentious restructuring and insolvency disputes.

Selected recent cases:

Re Food Retailer Operations Ltd / Co-operative Group litigation: acting in claims of approximately £500 million arising from alleged preferences and transactions at an undervalue following a major group restructuring.

Carillion plc: acted for the former finance director in directors’ disqualification proceedings following the collapse of Carillion.

Raiffeisen Bank International AG litigation (Cayman Islands): currently acting in proceedings arising from an international corporate restructuring involving allegations concerning substantial intra-group asset transfers, creditor protection issues, corporate authority and directors’ duties.

Digicel restructuring (Bermuda): acting in connection with the US$3.8 billion restructuring of the Digicel group.

Re Sturgeon Central Asia Balanced Fund Ltd: acted for the successful applicant in proceedings terminating recognition under the Cross-Border Insolvency Regulations in relation to a Bermuda company.

Litigation & Arbitration
  • Shareholder disputes
  • Joint venture disputes
  • LLP/partnership disputes
  • Professional negligence
  • Breach of fiduciary duty/misfeasance
  • Breach of warranty claims
  • Civil fraud and asset recovery
  • Interim remedies
  • Mediation and expert determination
  • Registered Societies

A leading commercial disputes silk with a broad litigation and international arbitration practice spanning shareholder disputes, corporate transactions, financial services, fraud-related claims and cross-border commercial disputes.

James is frequently instructed on disputes with complex factual issues, international elements and the intersection between company law, insolvency and commercial litigation.

Selected recent cases:

MLFAM LLC v Morrow, Smith and Scully Royalty Ltd (Grand Court of the Cayman Islands): acted for the successful defendants in a high-profile shareholder activism and corporate governance dispute concerning the election of directors, shareholder rights and control of a NYSE-listed Cayman Islands company.

1Globe Capital LLC v Sinovac Biotech Ltd (Privy Council): acted in a landmark corporate governance dispute concerning poison-pill arrangements, shareholder rights and the validity of director elections.

LCIA-DIFC arbitration: acted for the successful claimant in a major shareholder and joint venture dispute resulting in a substantial buy-out award.

Confidential unfair prejudice arbitration: acted in a high-value shareholder dispute concerning a business valued at approximately £1 billion.

Singapore arbitration: acted in a dispute concerning the interpretation and operation of drag and tag provisions in a corporate transaction.

Autonomy Corporation v Lynch: acted for Hewlett Packard entities in one of the most significant recent commercial and fraud-related disputes before the English courts.

Project Emanuel Bidco Ltd v Robson: acted in litigation arising from the acquisition of a business involving breach of warranty claims, freezing injunction relief and contempt proceedings.

International & Offshore

James KC has a substantial international and offshore practice encompassing shareholder disputes, corporate governance, restructuring and insolvency, commercial litigation and international arbitration.

He is regularly instructed in matters involving offshore corporate structures, cross-border transactions, shareholder activism, creditor disputes and foreign insolvency proceedings.

His practice spans the Cayman Islands, Bermuda, BVI, Gibraltar, Turks & Caicos Islands and major international arbitral centres, and he frequently works alongside lawyers in multiple jurisdictions on matters involving significant assets and complex corporate structures.

Selected recent case:

1Globe Capital LLC v Sinovac Biotech Ltd (Privy Council): acted in a major corporate governance dispute concerning poison-pill arrangements, shareholder rights and the validity of board elections.

MILFAM LLC v Morrow, Smith and Scully Royalty Ltd (Grand Court of the Cayman Islands): acted for the successful defendants in a significant shareholder activism and corporate governance dispute concerning the election of directors, shareholder rights, meeting procedures and control of a NYSE-listed Cayman Islands company. The judgment addresses important issues concerning shareholder meetings, director elections and the interpretation of articles of association under Cayman Islands law.

Raiffeisen Bank International AG litigation (Cayman Islands): acting in proceedings arising from a major international corporate restructuring involving allegations concerning substantial intra-group asset transfers, creditor protection issues, corporate authority and directors’ duties.

Digicel restructuring (Bermuda): acted in connection with the US$3.8 billion restructuring of the Digicel group, one of the most significant recent offshore restructuring matters.

LCIA-DIFC arbitration: acted for the successful claimant in a substantial shareholder and joint venture dispute resulting in a significant buy-out award.

Singapore arbitration: acted in proceedings concerning the interpretation and operation of drag and tag provisions in a corporate transaction.

Memberships & Publications

COMBAR

Chancery Bar Association

ILA

INSOL

Committee Member of the Bar Council International Committee

Contributor to Buckley on the Companies Acts

Practice and Procedure of the Companies Court

Contributor to FromCounsel

Recognition

Ranked in Legal 500 (Commercial Litigation, Company & Partnership and Insolvency), Who’s Who Legal (Global Leader in Restructuring and Insolvency, National Leader at UK Bar in Civil Fraud, Company and Partnership and Restructuring and Insolvency) and Chambers & Partners (Company, Restructuring & Insolvency, Chancery: Commercial and Commercial Disputes Resolution)

“James is an exceptionally good trial lawyer and an aggressive cross-examiner.” Chambers & Partners UK Bar 2025

“James is passionate and the type of guy the clients want on a matter.” Chambers & Partners UK Bar 2025

“James is all over the details; he thinks of every single angle.” Chambers & Partners UK Bar 2024

“I don’t like to be against him – he’s that good.” Chambers UK Bar 2023.

“He is a really effective advocate – incredibly careful, thoughtful and eminently sensible.”

“He is fantastic, always accessible and brilliant at anything last-minute.”

“James always provides a first-class service.”

“An extremely confident and relaxed advocate who is highly persuasive.”

“A fine operator in court, who is very effective in all he does.”

“An impressive advocate committed to achieving the best outcome for the client and very good at delivering tough messages.”

“Excellent. A go-to barrister for all corporate or shareholder disputes. James is excellent – incredibly bright, easy to work with, hugely committed and a great cross-examiner.”

“First-class brain coupled with empathy for clients in distress.”

“James is strategic in his thinking and creative in trying to think outside of the box and come up with solutions.”

“He’s detail-oriented and a very clever strategist.”

“He’s very commercial and a real detail lawyer; clients love him.”

“People get swept up in the tsunami of his brilliance. He’s a very serious opponent.”

“He does not shrink from providing tough advice.”

“Calm under pressure and a clear thinker, he is not afraid to reach a view and to give clients definitive guidance.”

“Has huge expertise in relation to corporate governance disputes.” “Decisive, charismatic, persuasive and someone who can process huge amounts of information quickly.”

“A go-to QC for company law disputes – a lovely chap, easy to work with, and frighteningly clever. ”

“He has great technical ability and won’t run away from a fight.”

“His legal analysis is insightful and fearless.”

“He has encyclopaedic knowledge of corporate law, and is spot-on in his judgement calls.”

“He has a fantastic grasp of accountancy detail and is always accessible. He’s an excellent team player.”

 

Webinars

10@12 Webinar: Privilege in Corporate Disputes

10@12 Webinar : Warranties In Business Sales

10@12 Webinar : Valuation in Shareholder Disputes 

10@12 Series: Share buybacks

 

Ranked in

Legal 500 2026 –
Company, Commercial Litigation, Insolvency

Chambers & Partners UK Bar 2026 –
Company, Restructuring & Insolvency, Commercial Dispute Resolution, Chancery: Commercial

Chambers & Partners Global Guide 2026 –
Restructuring/Insolvency, Dispute Resolution: Commercial, Dispute Resolution: Commercial Chancery

Who's Who Legal 2024 –
UK Bar - Civil Fraud, UK Bar - Company & Partnership, UK Bar - Restructuring & Insolvency

Who's Who Legal 2023 –
Global Leader in Restructuring and Insolvency, National Leader at UK Bar in Civil Fraud, Company and Partnership and Restructuring and Insolvency.

News

The Lawyer Top 20 Cases of 2023
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Watch the first webinar of the 10@12 Series
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Case Note: Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy v Adam and ors [2022] EWHC 922 (Ch)
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Saxby v UDG Healthcare (UK) Holdings Ltd [2021] EWHC 144 (Ch)
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THE UNCITRAL MODEL LAW AND THE CROSS-BORDER INSOLVENCY REGULATIONS 2006: A NEED FOR INSOLVENCY OR SEVERE FINANCIAL DISTRESS
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