James Adams

Practice areas

Public law family
Private children

What others say

‘James has done an absolutely fantastic job for us, really sensible, clear advice and really easy to use so I couldn’t recommend him enough’

Client

Profile

James is a specialist barrister practising exclusively in family law.

Originally from Cornwall, James studied the Graduate Diploma in Law at the University of Law in Exeter before undertaking his Bar Vocational Studies at City, University of London. He is a Lord Denning scholar of the Honourable Society of Lincoln’s Inn.

James originally studied Education with Geography at St John’s College, University of Cambridge. He graduated top of his class with a Starred First, before completing his MPhil in Psychology and Education funded jointly by St John’s College and the Isaac Newton Trust.

Whilst at Cambridge, James was the recipient of numerous academic awards and prizes and was published in the SAGE Handbook of Developmental Psychology and Early Childhood Education on “How Children Learn: Implications for Early Childhood Education”. He also worked within research teams at the Play in Education, Development and Learning (PEDAL) centre, which was established with funding from the LEGO Foundation.

James is a tactically astute and sought-after advocate who is meticulous in his case preparation. He acts predominantly in public and private law children cases and adopts a pragmatic yet sensitive approach to his work.

James’ background in academic child psychology is particularly valuable in cases involving expert evidence and where there are complex interactions between a child’s individual characteristics and their family and social environments. James’ research-based knowledge and experience inform his planning and result in cross-examination of expert psychologists that is probing, challenging and original.

His calmness under pressure and ability to manage complexity mean that James has been instructed in serious cases against counsel many years his senior. He has appeared on several occasions in the High Court. James was instructed as a led junior at a fact-finding hearing in the Family Court involving an allegation of rape made by a daughter against her father and the forensic analysis of thousands of pages of mobile phone data.

James regularly appears at Dispute Resolution Appointments, Issues Resolution Hearings and Final Hearings. He has acted at very short notice where there are Local Authority applications for interim care orders with interim care plans involving separation.

James is regulated by the Bar Standards Board.