James McKinnell

James McKinnell is a Partner in the firm's Dispute Resolution Department, based in the Cape Town office. He has litigated in a wide range of disputes in the High Court, the Supreme Court of Appeal, and various arbitral tribunals, specialising in commercial litigation, financial services, tax litigation, restructuring, and oil and gas disputes.

He leverages his experience across various commercial law disciplines to understand risk and provide strategic dispute advice, often at the pre-dispute stage. He has considerable experience of complex legal and financial structures and transactions, and of disputes which have arisen in them and/or in order to restructure them.

James holds a BBusSci, an LLB, and an LLM (Commercial Law) from the University of Cape Town, and a Certificate in Investment Analysis and Portfolio Management from the University of South Africa. He is an admitted attorney of the High Court of South Africa.

He has been ranked by Chambers Global in Dispute Resolution for the past eight years, most recently in Band 4 (2019-2026), and recognized by Best Lawyers for Litigation. Clients describe him as "experienced and commercial," "a seasoned litigator with excellent commercial acumen," and "a good communicator with the ability to calm down clients in difficult situations."