Leeds, England, United Kingdom
James Hartley: Head of award-winning litigation team of the year. He led on winning Bates v The Post Office – “one of the most serious miscarriages of justice in British legal history” I am Head of Dispute Resolution and Risk Mitigation and advise business leaders on strategies to deploy in high-stakes legal risk situations. I take a strategic approach to outcome-scenario analysis to enable informed decision-making. My unique risk mitigation process, developed during the Post Office case, allows me and my team to ensure a holistic, cost effective and goal-driven approach, utilising AI platforms and resulting in a final future-proof risk assessment. I not only deliver an outcome best suited to your strategic goals and objectives but mitigate loss of reputation and cost. My particular areas of focus are: - Defence of class actions; - Technology disputes; - Investment, asset management, banking and finance disputes; - Manufacturing & transport sector disputes - International arbitration - Deal disputes, including warranty and earn-out disputes - Contractual disputes - Competition litigation, shareholder disputes, defamation, trade disputes and international disputes. - Commercial fraud and asset recovery - Professional negligence litigation (involving accountants, lawyers, tax advisers, financial advisers, surveyors, valuers, actuaries, trustees). Litigation funding: I have many years experience of the UK funding market and have unique experience of how class action cases are funded, advising both on the claimant and defendant side. Alternative Dispute Resolution: Expert in many forms of ADR; Accredited and trained mediator. James is listed as a Recommended Lawyer and is recognised as a Leading Individual in Commercial Litigation by The Legal 500 (2024 edition).
I specialise in resolving complex commercial disputes. I have operated within the Yorkshire market (particularly Leeds and Sheffield) for over 20 years. The clients I work with range from FTSE 100 companies through to SMEs and high net-worth individuals. As well as being a qualified solicitor I am also a CEDR Accredited Mediator - this enables me to give my clients a "tactical edge" in mediation and Alternative Dispute Resolution matters. One of my areas of focus is Litigation Funding and Risk Transfer - this growing area is becoming increasingly important for companies looking for external funding and insurance to enable them to pursue genuine claims - I work with many of the leading UK funders and specialist brokers.
Acting for corporates and government departments in a wide spectrum of commercial disputes and regulatory matters.