James Ashwell (he, him, his) Associate | Vancouver

About James

James maintains a broad litigation and dispute resolution practice with a focus on complex contractual disputes, class actions and public law matters. He has assisted with disputes before administrative tribunals, the British Columbia Supreme Court, the British Columbia Court of Appeal, and the Supreme Court of Canada.

James joined Blakes as a Summer Student in 2023 and returned to the Firm in 2025 after clerking for five justices of the British Columbia Supreme Court.

Select Experience

James’ recent experience includes acting for:

A Toronto-based real estate lender in an appeal of a trial decision largely dismissing a multimillion-dollar contractual damages claim
A European private equity firm conducting sanctions diligence for the acquisition of a company with affiliates in Iran and Russia
A publicly-listed mining company in a statutory appeal of a decision of the Chief Gold Commissioner of British Columbia
A First Nation appealing a judgment recognizing, inside their traditional territory, title and fishing rights of another First Nation