Damian  James

Damian James  

Partner | Jersey

Private Client and Trusts

  • A first-class lawyer.
  • A master tactician and powerful advocate.
  • Damian has a real gravitas - he exudes that authoritative quality that's good in court.
    Chambers UK 2024
  • What Damian doesn't know about the Jersey court system isn't worth knowing.
  • Damian is always great in leading representations on behalf of clients in a bold and confident manner.
    Chambers UK 2023
  • Damian stands out as extraordinarily expert and experienced, but is always willing to draw on fresh ideas and new perspectives when suggested.
  • A superb trusts litigator – in my view, the best in 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
  • Particularly good at strategising, considering options and advising accordingly.
    Legal 500
  • You would not want anyone else in court assisting you; Damian is remarkable.
    Chambers UK 2024
  • A talented advocate with a measured approach.
    Chambers and Partners
  • 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 star front man who is easily able to translate technical aspects into commercial practice.
    Chambers UK 2024
  • Damian is technically very good, his knowledge of Jersey and the law is exceptional and he is very astute.
    Chambers UK 2024
  • Damian is excellent in court and when dealing with difficult situations. He is an excellent communicator, always keeping me updated, and is a cool and calming influence.
    Chambers and Partners 2022
  • Bright, patient and strategically superb.
    Legal 500
  • 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
  • Demonstrates a clear understanding of the most complex cases. He is extremely hard-working and knowledgeable, and delivers prompt, concise advice
    Legal 500

Overview

Damian heads up the Private Client and Trusts team in Jersey and has been a Partner since 2003. He 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 2024 UK Guide.

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.

Contentious risk and 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. As regulatory experts, we frequently act on contentious matters and can leverage our experience to help clients achieve the highest regulatory standards and avoid common pitfalls.

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.

Given the international nature of private wealth, with clients and their assets spread across the world, we work as a joined-up global team so that our clients can benefit from the knowledge and experience wherever they may need it.

Read more
19 Apr 2024

Collas Crill's private client team strengthened by appointment

Collas Crill's Private Client and Trusts team has been strengthened by the return of Bonnie McPartland as Of Counsel.Bonnie joined Collas Crill in 2016 and during her seven-year tenure with the firm developed a strong reputation in both non-contentious a...

21 Jul 2023

Chambers HNW Guide 2023

Collas Crill's Private Client teams in the Channel Islands have once again featured in the Chambers High Net Worth Guide, the guide for go-to individuals and firms in the private wealth sector. The Jersey team has moved up to band 2, with the Guernsey t...

18 Jan 2023

Double-edged sword

On 13 October 2022, the UK Privy Council handed down one of the most significant decisions of the past decade for the trusts industry in common-law jurisdictions in relation to Halabi (Appellant) v Equity Trust (Jersey) Ltd (Respondent) in re the ZII Tru...

20 Oct 2022

Collas Crill: Chambers 2022 UK

Collas Crill has maintained its strong position in the Chambers & Partners United Kingdom 2022 directory, upholding its rankings across all practice areas, with the addition of a number of individual awards. The directory demonstrates the firm's mar...

13 Oct 2022

Collas Crill acts in landmark case

Collas Crill recently acted for the successful lead appellant before the Privy Council in Halabi (Appellant) v Equity Trust (Jersey) Ltd (Respondent) in re the ZII Trusts 2022 UKPC 36, in a case that will undoubtedly have a far-reaching and long-lasting ...

29 Sep 2022

Collas Crill UK Legal 500 2023

Collas Crill has maintained its strong position in the Legal 500 United Kingdom directory this year, upholding its rankings across all practice areas. Described as one of the 'offshore Magic Circle', the firm is Tier 1 or 2 in all but two practice areas...

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Event 6 Nov 2023

Collas Crill in New York

Event 30 Mar 2022

Trusts in Litigation

Event 14 Nov 2022

Serle Court conference

Event 12 Nov 2015

Legal Week Forum

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