Profile

Ruth is a partner and trained collaborative lawyer in the family law team in Oxford. She specialises in financial matters and disputes relating to arrangements for children. Acting for both married and unmarried clients, she regularly advises on cases involving international elements and complex financial arrangements. She also acts in cases where there are allegations of parental coercion or control.

Ruth is also particularly skilled in acting for business owners and executives, or their spouses, and advising where there are complex issues regarding company valuations and remuneration packages. Her attention to detail and clarity of expression are appreciated by the barristers she instructs, while clients prize the sense of proportion that her experience brings. Litigious when necessary, Ruth is solution-focused and keen to promote dispute resolution options to clients in appropriate cases. She is a member of Resolution, the leading membership organisation for specialist family lawyers in England and Wales.

With over 15 years’ experience, Ruth is ranked as a Band One family law practitioner in Chambers UK, confirming her reputation as one of the leading family law experts in the region. One observer comments: ‘Ruth James is a superstar… She always has a lovely relationship with her clients, she seems to be able to generate real warmth with them, and at the same time with her opponents. She's super professional and careful.’