International law firm Addleshaw Goddard has appointed experienced financial services disputes specialist James Southworth as a Partner in its Finance Disputes team.

James is the latest addition to the firm’s expanding financial services group, following recent hires such as financial regulation partner Paul Anderson; former Deputy General Counsel at the Bank of England, Tess Kelly; and London-based colleagues James Greig, Grace Wyatt, and Lisa Lee Lewis, along with international appointments Jeanne-Marie Moriarty in Dublin and Marco Zingler in Frankfurt.

Joining from Eversheds Sutherland, James has over 25 years' experience and has advised on a wide range of high-value, complex, cross-border matters. His expertise covers litigation, arbitration, regulatory investigations, and contentious financial services disputes, consistently delivering commercial and strategic outcomes for clients.

His appointment further strengthens the firm’s international reach, particularly across the UAE and wider Middle East, where he has led significant disputes over the past five years, including one of the largest trials to be heard in the Abu Dhabi Global Markets (ADGM) Court.

James brings valuable experience in winning and managing major remediation projects for financial services clients—an increasingly key area amid evolving regulatory demands. His arrival also opens opportunities to deepen relationships across fast-growing sectors such as fintech and challenger banks, which remain target groups for the firm.

As the firm strengthens relationships with UK and international banks, broadens its client portfolio, and expands its presence in key global financial centres, James's appointment reflects Addleshaw Goddard’s ongoing commitment to growing its Finance Disputes group.

Richard Clayton, Head of Finance Disputes, Dispute Resolution at Addleshaw Goddard, said:

James Southworth said: 

"I am very excited to be joining the dynamic and growing Finance Disputes team at Addleshaw Goddard. The firm and the team are highly regarded in the market for the strength of their practice and the quality of their people and their clients. AG’s strategic focus on complex international disputes work was a major attraction for me and I am looking forward to working closely with my new colleagues in the UK and internationally to build upon the firm’s excellent existing platform."

About Addleshaw Goddard

We are a London headquartered, international, full-service law firm that consistently delivers high-quality outcomes for our clients globally. Our 1,500+ lawyers are based across 20 offices in Europe, the Middle East and Asia.
We have been advising clients for 250 years and today support over 5,000 of the world's most respected organisations. We help them in over 50 areas of business law, across more than 100 countries. And while the opportunities and challenges they bring us vary, we solve each in a uniquely Addleshaw Goddard way. 

Our clients enjoy working with us, we deliver a high-quality experience across everything we do, and we are known for award-winning innovation - all of which we harness to bring impact to clients.