Solicitor at Herbert Smith Freehills; Associate at the Supreme Court of Victoria
Profile:
James has a broad practice in public interest and private law. He has over a decade of experience advising and appearing in a variety of matters ranging from class actions and regulatory proceedings to property and contractual disputes. James has a particular interest in strategic litigation and proceedings that seek to vindicate individual rights.
Before coming to the bar, James was a solicitor at a large law firm and a judicial associate. He holds a LLM from the University of Cambridge, having attained first class honours at an undergraduate level in Australia. His graduate studies primarily concerned private international law, restitution and statutory interpretation.
Examples of his recent work include:
acting for Meccca Brands Pty Ltd in proceedings arising from the termination of a long-term distribution agreement, successfully defending restraint of trade counterclaim (led by N De Young QC): [2021] VSC 761
successfully resisting an application to dismiss and stay a preliminary discovery application against Honda Japan on jurisdictional and comity grounds (led by N De Young QC): [2021] VSC 757
acting for Timbercorp Finance Pty Ltd (in liq) in substantial debt recovery proceedings, including proceedings with counterclaims alleging misleading or deceptive conduct and contraventions of Ch 5C of the Corporations Act (led by P Solomon QC, with C Parkinson and J Grant): [2021] VSC 37; [2021] VSC 88;
acting for a group of Honda dealers in proceedings in the Supreme Court of Victoria relating to the termination of their dealership agreements (led by N De Young QC): e.g. [2021] VSC 619
acting for a property developer in litigation concerning the proper construction of the Estate Agents Act (led by P Ehrlich QC): [2021] VSCA 92;
acting for the ACCC in opposition to applications for relief from the Harman undertaking, and in various investigations concerning potential contraventions of competition and consumer law;
acting for the plaintiff in proceedings brought in the Supreme Court of the Northern Territory alleging fraud and unconscionable conduct in relation to the transfer of legal title to land (led by A Wyvill SC, with P Morgan): [2021] NTSC 26;
acting for various aged care providers and their executives in relation to hearings of the Aged Care Royal Commission in Victoria and Tasmania (led by H Austin QC);
acting for the plaintiff in proceedings in the Supreme Court of Victoria involving allegations of restraint of trade and breach of contract (led by N De Young QC);
acting for the plaintiff in relation to a takeover scheme of arrangement (led by O Bigos QC).
James was previously an associate to the Honourable Justice Sifris of the Supreme Court of Victoria. He read with Dr Oren Bigos QC and his senior mentor is Philip Solomon QC.
James Claridge and Nuwan Dias, 'Venial Faults and Oppressive Retribution: The Relationship between Substantial Performance and Damages for Breach of Construction Contracts' (2018) 34 Building and Construction Law Journal 92
James Claridge ‘Former employee escapes liability for misuse of confidential information’ (2013) 190 Corporate Law Bulletin
James Claridge, ‘Civil proceedings stayed pending the completion of criminal investigation’ (2013) 188 Corporate Law Bulletin
Liability limited by a scheme approved under Professional Standards legislation. The information referred to above has been supplied by the barrister concerned. Neither Victorian Bar Inc nor the barrister's clerk
have independently verified the accuracy or completeness of the information and neither accepts any responsibility in that regard.