James is a litigator whose practice covers competition, pharmaceuticals, and international trade. He advises leading industry players in a broad range of business sectors, from information technology and chemicals to airlines and paper. Recognized as one of the leading lawyers in his field by The International Who's Who of Competition Lawyers & Economists 2019, James uses his extensive experience and formidable grasp of EU laws and procedures to help clients navigate complex strategic issues.

James has been involved in pleading numerous high-profile cases in the European Courts, including: Servier (patent settlements), 'SAS v Commission' (Air Cargo), 'Rambus' (standard setting), Intel, (discounts), 'Microsoft v Commission' (compulsory licensing; treatment of trade secrets), 'Hanner' (finding the Swedish retail monopoly on pharmaceuticals illegal), 'Forum 187 v Commission' (fiscal state aids), 'Pfizer v Council' (precautionary principle), 'IMS Health' (compulsory licensing), 'Nintendo v Commission' (parallel trade), 'Servier v Commission' (banning of pharmaceuticals), 'Cheil Jedang v Commission' (fining policy) and 'Du Pont v Commission' (anti-dumping, GSP). The competition law journal Global Competition Review named the Air Cargo case, in which James represented SAS, as its Matter of the Year for 2016.

In the competition field, James regularly advises companies under investigation by the Commission, notably in areas such as pharmaceuticals and standard setting, where IP and competition law overlap. He also advises merging parties under the EU Merger Regulation, and has successfully defended several major cartel cases. He also acts for third-party complainants in mergers and classic antitrust cases and has an extensive advisory practice.