Thomas accepts instructions across the full range of Chambers’ practice areas, with a focus on wills, trusts and estate disputes, related taxation work, and commercial and property litigation.
He is ranked as a Rising Star for Private Wealth and Probate in the Legal 500 Bar Guide 2025.
Thomas is equally happy acting led or unled and is often instructed against counsel considerably senior to him. He appeared as sole counsel in the Court of Appeal in Gorbachev v Guriev [2022] EWCA Civ 1270, [2023] 2 WLR 1. He also regularly appears in the County Court and High Court, alongside specialist experience in the First-tier Tribunal, Upper Tribunal and Court of Protection.
Before joining Chambers, Thomas worked in the Court of Appeal (Civil Division) as the Judicial Assistant to the Rt. Hon. Lord Justice Patten. He has tutored extensively in trusts law and is a joint editor of Mellows: Taxation for Executors & Trustees. He also writes for Practical Law on a range of topics, and was seconded to a tier 1 London law firm in 2024.
Thomas was appointed to the Attorney General’s C Panel in 2024, his first year of eligibility.
Recent reported highlights include:
- Del Curto v Del Curto – Cross-border succession; led by Professor Jonathan Harris KC (Hon.) and Richard Dew. See [2023] EWHC 2106 (KB).
- Executors of the estate of Linington and another v Revenue and Customs Commissioners [2023] UKFTT 89 (TC), [2023] WTLR 917 – Inheritance tax valuation of interests in settled property (ongoing); led by James Henderson. See also [2024] UKUT 00070 (TCC).
- Gorbachev v Guriev [2022] EWCA Civ 1270, [2023] 2 WLR 1 – Offshore trustee disclosure. See also [2023] EWCA Civ 327, [2023] 1 WLR 2457 and [2022] EWHC 1907 (Comm); led by Richard Dew.
- Paul v Paul [2022] EWHC 1638 (Fam) – Acting for minor beneficiary in a claim under the Inheritance (Provision for Family and Dependants) Act 1975.
Thomas also frequently represents individuals in court pro-bono, receiving both the ‘Pro Bono Champion Award’ from the Chancery Bar Litigant in Person Support Scheme (CLIPS), and recognition from Advocate for committing over 25 hours to pro-bono work in 2023.
Offshore
Much of Thomas’s work involves an offshore element, and he welcomes being instructed as part of a larger cross-border team. His experience includes:
- Disputes concerning offshore trusts, particularly those based in Jersey, Guernsey or the Isle of Man.
- Applications for disclosure from offshore trustees and their legal representatives, including significant involvement in the Gorbachev v Guriev litigation and the service out rules.
- Cross-border succession, including questions of domicile, conflicting foreign wills and claims to register foreign succession judgments under the Foreign Judgments Reciprocal Enforcement Act 1933 (see ongoing Del Curto v Del Curto litigation).
- Litigation concerning an offshore trust inheritance tax avoidance scheme in the Isle of Man: see Executors of the estate of Linington and another v Revenue and Customs Commissioners [2023] UKFTT 89 (TC), [2023] WTLR 917.
- Litigation concerning an offshore trust capital gains tax avoidance scheme in New Zealand and Mauritius.
- A claim for rescission of several offshore trusts on the basis of mistake, with a related professional negligence action.
Recommendations
Qualifications
- BPP Law School – Excellence Award
- The Honourable Society of the Middle Temple – Diplock Scholarship
- The Honourable Society of the Middle Temple – Certificate of Honour
- BPP Law School, London – Bar Professional Training Course, Outstanding
- BPP Law School, London – Graduate Diploma in Law, Distinction
- University of Exeter – BA (Hons) History with Study Abroad, First Class
Associations & Memberships
- Chancery Bar Association
- Contentious Trusts Association
- Court of Protection Bar Association
Publications
- Joint editor of Mellows: Taxation for Executors & Trustees
- Regular contributor to Practical Law
Thomas James is a self-employed, independent barrister whose practice is regulated by the Bar Standards Board [Bar Council Ref 70491]. He is fully insured with the Bar Mutual Indemnity Fund [BMIF Ref 2360/082] 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 386587924.
