James Kirby is a Chancery barrister with a particular interest in private client work (both contentious and non-contentious), Court of Protection and capital taxes.
James appears regularly in the High Court and County Court, and has also appeared in the First-tier Tribunal (Tax Chamber) and the Court of Protection. He is equally happy being instructed on his own account or as a junior within a wider team.
Before becoming a barrister, James was a Research Fellow in History at Trinity College, Cambridge.
Property
James has a particular interest in the ownership and occupation of trust and estate property.
His experience in property-related matters includes:
- Appearing successfully to strike out a TOLATA claim relating to a family home as an abuse of process
- Appearing in a two-day interim application in a high-value mortgage possession claim in the High Court (led by Jonathan Gavaghan)
- Applying successfully for land to be vested in a residents’ management company under the Insolvency Act 1986
- Appearing at a disposal hearing of a Part 8 claim for an order for sale
- Drafting Particulars of Claim in a dispute concerning breach of trust by the vendor of a property
- Advising on a proposed application for an order for sale under TOLATA
- Possession proceedings against trespassers (commercial and residential), including interim possession orders
Qualifications
- Bar Professional Training Course (Outstanding), City Law School (2017)
- Graduate Diploma in Law (Distinction; Equity & Trusts Prize), City Law School (2016)
- Princess Royal Scholarships, Inner Temple (BPTC and GDL)
- DPhil in History, Balliol College, Oxford (2014)
- MSt in History (Distinction), Balliol College, Oxford (2011)
- BA in History (First Class – highest in university), Balliol College, Oxford (2010)
Associations & Memberships
- Member of the Chancery Bar Association
- Member of the Court of Protection Bar Association
- Fellow of the Royal Historical Society
Publications
James is an editor of the forthcoming edition of Williams on Wills (11th edn)
‘Tax Planning in the Court of Protection’, Lawskills (Sep. 2018)
James has also published a number of articles in leading historical journals and a book (on 19th-century religious history) with Oxford University Press.
James Kirby is a self-employed, independent barrister whose practice is regulated by the Bar Standards Board [Bar Council Ref 69244]. He is fully insured with the Bar Mutual Indemnity Fund [BMIF Ref 2360/079] to provide legal services, please refer to the BMIF website for full details of the world-wide cover provided. He is registered for VAT under the reference 304589790.
