James Freeman

Practice Areas

James heads the International Arbitration Group in the London office. He has conducted arbitrations under all of the major institutional rules and at all of the main seats, in a wide range of industry sectors. He acts in both commercial and investor-state cases. He is a Solicitor Advocate and routinely appears as an advocate at substantive hearings. 

James’s practice has a particular focus on energy, and he is highly valued by clients for, among other things, his expertise in gas and LNG pricing disputes. He is acknowledged to be leading current thinking in this area, co-editing the 2nd edition of the Gas Price Arbitrations – the only textbook on the subject. James is also known for his expertise in finance sector arbitrations and has acted as counsel for ISDA on its Arbitration Guide.

Widely respected in the market, James features in all of the leading legal directories. In Chambers & Partners UK 2024, it is stated that James is “an exemplary lawyer” and “highly effective” and who is “very creative and adapts to the situation that you are in. He is also sensitive to the client's issues and needs”. It is also stated that “James provides an excellent legal service in an ever-changing business environment with a clear client and commercial focus. He thinks outside of the box and moves things forward. He strikes the balance between sufficient depth of advice and efficiency and commercial practicability.” Previous editions have described him as “bright, hard-working and someone you want on your team”; “an impressive advocate and commercial arbitrator”, that “He provides excellent service on matters involving complex commercial and tactical issues” and is “a pleasure to work with. He's super bright and intellectually rigorous”; “A class act. He's thoughtful and sensible”; and “all over the facts of a case,”... “He knows exactly why he's there and is massively persuasive.” Legal 500, 2023 describes James as having a “brilliant mind”. Previous editions have said he is “versatile, smart and pragmatic”; “engaging and always very calm and measured, as well as being fun to work with – responsive and on top of all of the details.” Who’s Who Legal Arbitration 2023 states that “James Freeman excels on the international stage, being described as ‘really good practitioner’ who is consistently ‘meticulous and thoughtful’”.