Damian  James

Damian James  

Partner

Legal

Jersey

  • Damian is my primary contact in the DR practice. A pleasure to work with. He has a calm, quiet manner and immediately gets to the heart of the issue.
    Legal 500 (UK) 2023
  • He's a good lawyer, well-liked by clients. He's done some big-ticket trust litigation.
    Chambers High Net Worth Guide
  • Bright, patient and strategically superb.
    Legal 500
  • Damian is knowledgeable on the law and an extremely good communicator. He engenders trust very quickly and speaks with authority - the perfect mix of legal expertise and commercial nous.
    Chambers UK 2023
  • Damian has a real gravitas - he exudes that authoritative quality that's good in court.
    Chambers UK 2024
  • Damian is always great in leading representations on behalf of clients in a bold and confident manner.
    Chambers UK 2023
  • Damian James is a very good court advocate. He is understated in his style and is always clear on advice. He sees the big picture and is willing to explore more creative solutions.
    Chambers High Net Worth 2025
  • Particularly good at strategising, considering options and advising accordingly.
    Legal 500
  • A star front man who is easily able to translate technical aspects into commercial practice.
    Chambers UK 2024
  • Damian James is a great litigator, straightforward, calm, a good listener, overall providing a very user-friendly experience from a client’s perspective.
    Legal 500 (UK) 2024
  • Damian is a sensible and impressive advocate.
    Chambers UK Guide 2026
  • Demonstrates a clear understanding of the most complex cases. He is extremely hard-working and knowledgeable, and delivers prompt, concise advice
    Legal 500
  • Astute, calm and authoritative tactician.
    Legal 500
  • Damian possesses a combination of technical expertise, strategic thinking, strong communication skills, and a client-focused approach. He is highly experienced, and highly thought of by his colleagues and peers, as well as the court officials.
    Legal 500 (UK) 2024
  • A first-class lawyer.
  • A talented advocate with a measured approach.
    Chambers and Partners
  • Highly thought of by his colleagues and peers, as well as the court officials– in particular the judges.
  • Without a doubt my best asset.
    Legal 500
  • What Damian doesn't know about the Jersey court system isn't worth knowing.

Damian is an experienced litigator who specialises in contentious and semi-contentious trust work and heavyweight commercial litigation.

Experience

Damian is a member of the Fraud Network and is highly ranked in both the main legal directories. He is listed as a prominent figure in the contentious trust section of the Citywealth leading lawyers list and he sits on the board of one of the world's largest litigation funds. The company specialises in funding high profile, multi billion-pound, international group action claims.

Damian is named in Legal 500's Hall of Fame UK lawyers list which identifies exceptional legal talent at the pinnacle of their profession. He is also ranked in band 2 by Chambers in the UK Guide. He has also been recognised as one of the world's leading practitioners in the Lexology Index: Comercial Litigation 2025 and a Thought Leader in Asset Recovery and GIR.

 

Legal 500: UK Hall of Fame
Chambers Ranking In UK
Chambers High Net Worth
Senior Business Assistant
Suzanne Treacy  
My services
Trust advisory
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The role of a modern trustee has never been more complex. Trustees must satisfy the needs and desires of their beneficiaries, manage complex assets and navigate an ever-changing legal and regulatory landscape.

We know that trustees can need assistance and advice on how best to satisfy their duties and to meet their legal and regulatory obligations. We understand and have a great deal of experience in working with trustees to get ahead of any potentially difficult situation and resolve it in a way that minimises risk and conflict.

Trust disputes
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We represent beneficiaries, high-net-worth individuals, trustees, protectors and other power holders in a range of contentious and semi-contentious situations. Our lawyers have been at the forefront of the most complex, high-value private wealth litigation offshore. 

We often deal with novel points of law, creating new and innovative solutions to meet the needs of our clients.

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Private client and trusts
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Our full-service private client team offers wealth structuring, advisory and disputes expertise to trustees and high-net-worth individuals, and a range of services to clients within our local jurisdictions.

With our strong global presence and partner-led approach, clients can benefit from our leading expertise and experience around the world.

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Dispute resolution
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We live in an increasingly contentious world. When your business is involved in any kind of legal dispute it's crucial to work with lawyers who are hands-on, cost-effective and flexible enough to respond quickly and intuitively to your unique situation and needs.

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Contentious regulatory
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In regulatory disputes there are often fine lines between the usual wrangling with the regulator and something more serious – by matching our mix of experienced contentious and non-contentious lawyers to the particular problem at hand, we achieve better and more efficient outcomes.

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Corporate disputes
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Our dispute resolution specialists collaborate seamlessly with our corporate advisory and banking teams across jurisdictions to advise multinational corporations, trust companies, banks, funds, insurers, governments and directors.

We provide a global perspective, working closely with our clients to ensure that they are best placed to respond to customer issues, fraud risks, rapidly changing market conditions and regulatory demands.

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Directors' disputes
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Disputes between directors can threaten the stability and governance of a company. We advise boards, individual directors, shareholders and stakeholders in contentious matters involving boardroom deadlock, removal or appointment of directors and conflicts of interest.

Drawing on our corporate, regulatory and dispute resolution expertise, we provide strategic advice in navigating internal power struggles and fiduciary issues. Our cross-border teams work cohesively to resolve disputes efficiently, protect business continuity and mitigate reputational risk.

Whether acting in private companies, joint ventures or complex corporate structures, we help clients manage director-level disputes with clarity and confidence.

5 Feb 2026

A practical guide to trustee blessing applications for 'momentous' decisions

This briefing note is intended for trustees who are interested in trustee blessing applications (often arising in contentious or high-stakes trustee decision-making). What is a 'blessing application' and what use does it serve? A blessing application is ...

4 Feb 2026

Varying trusts in Jersey

Jersey is one of the world’s leading jurisdictions in which to establish and manage private wealth through trusts. While many modern trusts include powers that allow the trustees to amend the terms of their trusts without the Court's assistance, there ar...

18 Dec 2025

Expertise recognised in Lexology Index

The expertise of a number of partners across the firm has been recognised in Lexology Index (formerly Who's Who Legal).  Trusted by thousands of companies and organisations worldwide, Lexology Index combines extensive research with objective case an...

17 Dec 2025

Trusts Jersey Law: Once, twice…eighth time amended

The States of Jersey has amended the Trusts (Jersey) Law 1984 (TJL) for an eighth time.[1] The legislation has gone to the Privy Council for approval and is expected to come into force shortly. The 2024 consultation paper[2] canvassed views on whether to...

16 Oct 2025

Strong rankings maintained in Chambers UK Guide 2026

Collas Crill's Guernsey and Jersey teams have upheld the firm's rankings across all practice areas in the 2026 Chambers UK Guide, including the Guernsey property team's top-tier ranking and a notable promotion to Band 2 for the Guernsey trusts team. Ther...

1 Sep 2025

Challenges to (in)adequate deliberation after Dawson-Damer – a reminder for trustees

Dawson-Damer – an introduction In a landmark decision of the Privy Council, Ashley Dawson-Damer v Grampian Trust Company Ltd [2025] UKPC 32 (Dawson-Damer), the Privy Council has grappled with a US$402m trust dispute in which a discretionary beneficiary s...

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