James is regularly recommended for the quality of his legal analysis, his persuasive advocacy in court, the practicality of his advice, and his sensitive and responsive interaction with clients.
He is ranked by Legal 500 for both Private Client: Trusts and Probate and Property Litigation, and by Chambers & Partners and Chambers HNW for his Traditional Chancery practice. His inter-disciplinary expertise means that much of his work concerns disputes involving multiple areas of law. This is reflected in some of his recent reported decisions, which include: Gohil v Kumara [2023] EWHC 1809 (Ch), Abdelnoor v Barker [2022] EWHC 1468 (Ch),Ware v Ware [2021] EWHC 694 (Ch) and Fantini v Scrutton [2020] EWHC 1552 (Ch).
James’ busy practice spans a number of Chambers’ key practice areas, and particularly focuses on:
- Probate, inheritance and trust disputes, including 1975 Act claims, trustee/executor removal and TLATA claims;
- Landlord and Tenant issues, both residential and commercial, including pubs and licensed premises;
- Property, including covenants, easements, nuisance and boundary disputes;
- Court of Protection applications, particularly concerning Property and Affairs;
- Charity law, including advising charitable trustees and disputes over charity property; and
- Commercial and contractual disputes, including arbitrations and interim applications such as freezing injunctions.
James is a skilled and highly effective advocate, who appears regularly in the High Court and County Courts. He also has significant experience of offshore litigation, particularly in the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man.
James is (with Sidney Ross) one of the authors of the Fifth Edition of Ross on Inheritance Act Claims.
Before coming to the Bar, James taught at secondary and tertiary level in England and Vanuatu, and is equally comfortable being instructed in both English and Bislama.
James is also a qualified and experienced mediator, and welcomes instructions as a mediator in any of the areas in which he practices.
Commercial & Business Disputes
James has a broad and busy practice encompassing a range of commercial areas.
Recent highlights include:
- Company disputes:
- Advising in a number of shareholder and share valuation disputes, including those arising from the administration of estates.
- Acting on behalf of a member and director of a company in a dispute involving allegations of unfair prejudice made by both parties.
- Interim relief:
- In recent months James has successfully obtained in the High Court: freezing injunctions, Norwich Pharmacal orders, interim injunctions and orders for disclosure;
- Contractual disputes – recent cases have involved claims for breach of contract, unjust enrichment and professional negligence in areas including:
- Contracts of sale;
- Contracts for services in the healthcare sector; and
- Construction disputes.
- Insolvency – both individual and company:
- James appears regularly in the Winding Up Court, including making applications to set aside winding up orders.
- Conducting public examinations of a Bankrupt under s.366 of the Insolvency Act 1986.
Recommendations
Qualifications
- Bar Professional Training Course (Outstanding), City Law School (2016)
- Buchanan Prize, Lincoln’s Inn (2016)
- Lord Denning Scholarship, Lincoln’s Inn (2016)
- Graduate Diploma in Law (Commendation), City Law School (2015)
- Hardwicke Award, Lincoln’s Inn (2015)
- Lord Bowen Scholarship, Lincoln’s In (2015)
- MA Modern History, University of Oxford (2009)
Publications
- “Persons Unknown”, New Law Journal, 21 November 2014 (with Tim Lawson-Cruttenden)
James Poole is a self-employed, independent barrister whose practice is regulated by the Bar Standards Board [Bar Council Ref 67708]. He is fully insured with the Bar Mutual Indemnity Fund [BMIF Ref 2360/077] 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 278659634.
