James obtained a 2:1 Bachelor of Arts degree in Land Economy from Cambridge University, and obtained both his Graduate Diploma in Law and Legal Practice Course at BPP Law School. James trained and qualified at SJ Berwin (now known as King & Wood Mallesons) in 2013, subsequently joining Eversheds in its Planning & Development team in May 2013 and Edwin Coe LLP in the Real Estate team in 2016. At Edwin Coe, he advised Private Equity and Corporate clients on real estate matters including investment, debt refinancing, commercial leases, residential development and share purchase agreements. James joined Ryan Transactional Risk in January 2019.