James specialises in patent matters in the field of electrical engineering including lithography, nanotechnology, analogue and digital electronics and computer implemented inventions. Before joining Marks & Clerk James gained industrial experience at ARM, where he was involved in the design and verification of application specific integrated circuits for use in personal media players, and completed his PhD at the London Centre for Nanotechnology, University College London. James' research focussed on the various materials and integration challenges associated with large area and organic electronics.

During his time at the London Centre for Nanotechnology, James initiated a collaborative research project with the Japanese National Institute of Materials Science, resulting in him spending several months working in Tsukuba, Japan. James graduated from Cambridge University in 2005 with a degree in Engineering having studied a broad selection of general engineering topics before specialising in Electronic and Electrical Engineering. His Masters thesis was based on the development of models and interface electronics for Micro-Electro-Mechanical devices.