James is a Counsel in the Financial Regulation Group in London, having trained at Linklaters.
James has expertise advising banks, proprietary traders, asset managers, FMIs and fintechs across a range of financial regulatory topics. He focusses focus on wholesale markets, fintech/cryptoassets and ESG/sustainable finance regulation, but has broad experience across a wider range of regulatory topics.
His experience includes advising clients on their response to significant regulatory changes such as the implementation of MiFID II, Brexit, the EU’s Digital Operational Resilience Act (DORA) and on ESG topics such as the EU Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulation (SFDR), Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) and the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD).
James regularly advises on fintech and digital assets matters. His experience includes advising a consortium of banks on their project to establish a private virtual currency using blockchain technology, advising on successful cryptoasset registrations under the Money Laundering Regulations 2017, and advising a prominent cryptoasset derivatives trading firm on obtaining Part 4A authorisation from the FCA.
His broader advisory expertise covers a range of other areas including the application of the UK and EU Market Abuse Regulation (in both transactional and non-transactional contexts), the FCA’s Consumer Duty, the Benchmarks Regulation, AIFMD, CRD VI, the Short Selling Regulation, M&A transactions related to regulated businesses, intragroup reorganisations of regulated businesses, analysis of complex UK regulatory perimeter issues and cross-border licensing advice.
James has previously been seconded to the regulatory reform legal team at Goldman Sachs, focussing on matters relating to MiFID II implementation. As a Managing Associate James also spent time on secondment in Linklaters’ Financial Regulation Group in Hong Kong.
James is recognised as a Leading Associate in the non-contentious financial regulatory space in Legal 500.
James regularly participates in industry associations. He has worked recently with UK Finance and the UK Cryptoassets Business Council on responses to FCA consultation papers concerning the upcoming UK cryptoassets regulatory regime. He also regularly contributes to trade association consultation responses on wholesale markets reform and the short selling regulation.
He is also a regular presenter and moderator on Linklaters’ financial regulation and digital assets webinars and breakfast briefing sessions.
James has also participated for multiple years in Linklaters’ partnership with Aspiring Solicitors and Revolut, providing mentoring sessions to students from under-represented backgrounds and advice on how to approach training contract applications.
James studied History as an undergraduate at the University of Cambridge, achieving a First with Distinction (1*), before undertaking the GDL and LPC at the University of Law in London.
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