Jim is a Consultant in the Licensing & Gambling and Regulatory teams. His unrivalled experience since qualification nearly 50 years ago equips him to give invaluable advice and guidance to his colleagues. They regularly turn to him for help in a wide range of matters and his experience is available for the benefit of his own clients and those of other lawyers in the firm.
He was for almost 20 years a criminal court judge and over decades acted as both defence lawyer and prosecution lawyer. His resulting broad perspective equips him to know how a client’s case should be prepared and presented in the most effective way. He has acted for individuals, businesses and government departments across the full spectrum of criminal cases including fraud, violence, health and safety, trading standards, environmental, road traffic.
For many years he acted as a regulator in the road haulage and public service vehicle industries. He was able to bring that experience to bear in acting for road haulage and PSV companies and individual drivers facing regulatory proceedings.
Similarly, he sat regularly as a chair of the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal and the firm’s clients facing professional disciplinary charges have benefited from this experience. It has also been relevant to his many years of conducting and defending disciplinary proceedings involving students and academics in Oxford colleges and other universities.
Jim has also, for decades, acted for businesses and individuals in alcohol and public entertainments licensing. When the Licensing Act 2003, the current licensing regime, first came into effect, he was responsible for the licensing of many Oxford colleges and other institutions who had never previously required to be licensed. He recently guided an Oxford College in the licensing requirements for their Commemoration Ball to celebrate 400 years.
Since he first qualified in local government employment, Jim has had a successful practice in Town & Country planning matters and other aspects of local government law. For many years he acted for a large and very busy Oxford developer client in public inquiries and dealing with other problems his client encountered within the planning system. He has in recent years been, and indeed currently is, involved in the drafting of a local Neighbourhood Plan, soon projected to become part of the Development Plan to which the planning authority for the area must have regard in determining planning applications.
Jim regularly gives advice and guidance to the benefit of his colleagues and their clients across the whole gamut of regulatory law.