James is a partner within our Construction and Projects team specialising in construction, engineering and PPP/PFI projects. James acts for both the public and private sector on a number of high value capital projects, across a range of sectors including Education, Waste, Roads and Healthcare.

James is also part of the renewable energy group at  Burness Paull with a particular focus on biomass, energy from waste, municipal waste management projects and on-shore wind. He specialises in EPC contracting and all construction and specialised contracts such as Balance of Plant and Turbine Supply Agreements.

James is dual qualified in Scots and English law and has an LLM in Construction Law. He is accredited by The Law Society of Scotland as a specialist in Construction Law. James is also a Notary Public.

It is the in-depth knowledge of the project that James Forbes as partner brings to our project. He is supported by other lawyers each having significant time spent on the project. For us the depth of knowledge of our business is key.

Chambers UK, 2025

James is very good at dispensing appropriate advice and getting across the required detail and knock-on effects of various scenarios.

Chambers UK, 2026

He is pragmatic, sensible and knows about the sector.

Chambers UK, 2026

Related Insights

Error.

No results.

Planning For Build To Rent

Planning for build-to-rent: a tale of two cities

15/07/2026

Here we discuss the evolution of build to rent planning policy in Scotland, examining the differing approaches taken by Edinburgh and Glasgow and what comes next for the sector.

Read more The Walls Remember A Lesson In Building Conversion Risk

The walls remember: a lesson in building conversion risk

08/07/2026

In this article, we discuss how structural issues at a major New York conversion project highlight the hidden risks of repurposing ageing buildings and the lessons for the UK property market.

Read more Ports And Harbours Re

Why standard commercial property thinking doesn’t work for ports and harbours

02/07/2026

Here we discuss why treating ports like normal property can quietly derail projects as hidden legal layers, shared access limits and marine rules create risks many developers fail to spot early.

Read more

Want to hear more from us?

Subscribe here Subscribe here