James is the Managing Director and the founder of Stokes Lawyers, having previously spent time in small and very large firms in business and taxation.

James is recognised as a leading private and commercial lawyer in the area and has assisted hundreds of business owners.

James’ approach is to build collaborative professional relationships with likeminded advisors, including accountants, financial planners, risk professionals and other lawyers. He is a Chartered Tax Adviser with the Tax Institute of Australia and a Queensland Law Society Accredited Specialist in Business Law. He has presented as a speaker for both organisations as well as numerous legal education providers, national banks and community groups.

James is a director of Rivermount Education Limited and the Economics and Law Research Institute Limited.

Expertise

James is a private client and commercial lawyer specialising in assisting families, business owners and aspirational individuals to build and protect wealth. As a dual-qualified professional, James is able to bring a broad experience to assist with –

• Estate Planning

• Trusts

• Business establishment and start-ups

• Restructuring Commercial contracts

• Partnership disputes

• Philanthropic entities and governance

In Australia’s property-centric wealth context, James and his team also assist a number of private clients who are property developers and management rights operators in their structuring and transactions.