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Band 4
Band 4
Band 5
About
Provided by James MacDonald KC
Practice Areas
James is a leading commercial silk practising both litigation and arbitration. Particularly well known for his high profile general commercial and banking and finance practice, James’ practice covers all aspects of commercial law. James’ recent experience covers, amongst others, aviation, banking and finance, energy, fraud, professional negligence, injunctions, jurisdiction and enforcement. James also acts in tax cases, providing private law advice on transactions subject to enquiry. James has appeared in many major Commercial Court trials and appeals. Recent large cases include for example, the Mozambique ‘tuna bonds’ litigation, the high profile Frasers v Morgan Stanley dispute about a US$1bn margin call, the ENRC v Dechert litigation involving allegations of negligence against former Dechert solicitor Neal Gerrard. James is currently acting in a number of major cases in the fields of banking, aviation, fraud and energy. He is also an experienced arbitration counsel (under ICC, ICSID, LCIA and DFIC rules) and is currently acting in a number of very high value ICC and LCIA arbitrations concerning various aspects of the energy and industrial sectors. Prior to taking silk James was one of the top commercial juniors at the bar, being band 1 ranked and receiving numerous award nominations. James is also a regular contributor to Butterworths’ Journal of International Banking and Finance. Further information can be found at https://www.oeclaw.co.uk/barristers/profile/james-macdonald
Career
Inner Temple (called 2005) Education: Oxon (BA Hons (double 1st)); King’s College London (MA); Law School (CPE; BPP distinction).
Chambers Review
UK Bar
James MacDonald KC is an impressive new silk who is highly respected for his handling of complex banking and finance disputes. His practice in this area is diverse, spanning multi-jurisdictional cases and enforcement proceedings. MacDonald's superb reputation sees him regularly instructed in the most high-profile of matters, and he acts on both the claimant and defendant sides for national and international banking organisations. He is experienced in acting on top-drawer cases involving silks of the highest order, and is further noted for his knowledge of Islamic finance cases.
James MacDonald KC draws on extensive experience from the commercial Bar in his civil fraud practice, acting in international cases involving jurisdictions including Russia. He acts for both claimants and defendants, and is particularly strong in banking frauds.
Strengths
Provided by Chambers
"James can be relied upon to provide pitch-perfect advice in any situation. He's an incredibly gifted advocate and a great team player."
"James' standout is that, even though he is a silk, he is extremely hand-on and detailed in the preparation of the case."
"James possesses an easy style of communication which ingratiates him with clients."
"James is just brilliant on his feet. Incredibly smooth and calm, he holds people's attention."
"James has a great strategic mind and is really into the details. His advocacy is fantastic."
"He is extremely hands-on in the preparation of the case and extremely detailed. All of the changes he makes to the documents are very good and persuasive."
"James is calm, measured, thoughtful and a brilliant draftsman. His advocacy is exceptional. He's extremely responsive and gains clients' trust."
"An excellent new silk who is meticulous in his preparation and extremely client-friendly."
"James can be relied upon to provide pitch-perfect advice in any situation. He's an incredibly gifted advocate and a great team player."
"James' standout is that, even though he is a silk, he is extremely hand-on and detailed in the preparation of the case."
"James possesses an easy style of communication which ingratiates him with clients."
"James is just brilliant on his feet. Incredibly smooth and calm, he holds people's attention."
"James has a great strategic mind and is really into the details. His advocacy is fantastic."
"He is extremely hands-on in the preparation of the case and extremely detailed. All of the changes he makes to the documents are very good and persuasive."
"James is calm, measured, thoughtful and a brilliant draftsman. His advocacy is exceptional. He's extremely responsive and gains clients' trust."
"An excellent new silk who is meticulous in his preparation and extremely client-friendly."
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