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Practice Profile
Jim practices across all of Chambers main practice areas. Prior to coming to the Bar, he represented clients in the County Courts in matters involving bankruptcy, infant settlement approvals, mortgage applications, return of goods, landlord and tenant disputes, case management applications and small claims. He was also a Visiting Law Lecturer at the University of Westminster where he taught first year degree students. He is adept at explaining complex law in straightforward terms.
Civil
Jim deals with a wide range of civil cases, acting for claimants and defendants in the civil courts and High Court. He has experience of contractual disputes and debt collection matters; applications to set aside default judgments; and personal injury cases including advising on suitable settlements and attending infant approval hearings. He is regularly instructed in Stage 3 hearings and credit hire matters.
Jim has successfully represented children who were appealing the decision to exclude them from their school under the Education Act 2011 making representations at Governor Disciplinary Committees and Independent Review Panels and persuading the Independent Review Panel to recommend that the school reconsider its decision.
Family
Jim frequently acts for clients affected by domestic violence who are seeking a non-molestation or/and occupation order under the Family Law Act 1996. His experience of dealing with the criminal aspects of domestic violence in the magistrates’ court makes him particularly well suited to advise in this area. He has experience of care proceedings, including assisting on two-week fact finding hearing during pupillage which involved catastrophic injury to a child consistent with shaking. Jim acts for parents and local authorities in care proceedings.
Jim acts in applications for forced marriage protection orders and has recently been instructed on behalf of a mother resisting the imposition of an FPO in the Family Court. During pupillage he observed forced marriage protection order cases in the High Court including the imposition of passport orders. He has an LLM in Public Law and is well versed in the public law principles that apply to the imposition of restrictions by the state.
Jim is regularly instructed in disputes relating to custody of children under s8 of the Children Act 1989. He has experience of child abduction cases both nationally and internationally and accepts instructions in claims under the Hague Convention, Brussels II Revised and internal abductions.
Crime
Jim accepts instructions for private clients in Magistrates Court Defence matters.
