James Marsh
- Experience
James joined Birketts in July 2021 as a Senior Associate in our Private Client Advisory Team. He is based at our Cambridge office and has 15+ years’ experience in the field of wills, trusts, tax and probate and has worked in Cambridge since 2010.
James’ Cambridge clients include academics, business owners, high net worth individuals and other professionals. James provides advice on the following:
- Wills
- Lasting Powers of Attorney
- Estate and succession planning
- Inheritance and capital gains tax
- Probate
- Taxation and trust administration
- Creation of charities and ad hoc queries concerning established charities
- Court of Protection matters (including deputyships)
Helping and supporting people is at the heart of James’ work at Birketts. He meets many clients at what is often a challenging or emotionally difficult time in their lives. James finds that guiding clients through their situation and using his legal expertise to help them get the best result possible is extremely rewarding. Indeed, one of the most gratifying aspects of his work is when clients say he has helped them through a very difficult period, yet made the law and process seem uncomplicated.
James has been named and recommended as a ‘Rising Star’ by Legal 500 [UK 2024]. In the previous edition, a client noted ‘James is efficient, professional, friendly and inspires confidence.’ Another added ‘James Marsh has been such a help to me. He is extremely knowledgeable, updates you continually and keeps to his promises. He does not mind how many questions you ask, or how many emails you send. He gives you his time and is happy to chat anything through.’
In an earlier edition, clients described James as “exceptionally helpful” and “straightforward and professional”. He has also been noted for his efficiency.
James is a full member of STEP, a highly regarded professional body for practitioners for which he attained full membership via formal examinations.
James became a trustee and board member of Cambridge Science Centre (a charity which develops and hosts STEM-themed exhibitions and programmes for school-age children and promotes public accessibility to science, maths, engineering and technology subjects) in February 2022. In December 2023, he was co-opted as a trustee of The Wildlife Trust for Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Northamptonshire, where he is also a member of the Resources Committee.
James was a committee member of Cambridge Law Society (CLS) from 2010 until 2019. He also sat on CLS’s newsletter subcommittee for much of that period and contributed articles for their quarterly newsletter, Light Blue Law.
Finally, James has delivered seminars to local solicitors and has co-presented sessions with other professionals on topics such as estate and succession planning and mental incapacity.
James holds a BA Honours in History (Lancaster University) and an MA in Medieval History (University of York). He undertook the GDL (Graduate Diploma in Law) and LPC (Legal Practice Course) at the College of Law, York.
James enjoys long walks in the countryside with his family and dog. He is a keen amateur musician and likes attending concerts and performances. James also enjoys photography and visiting historical sites, galleries and museums.
Awards and Memberships
James Marsh has been such a help to me. He is extremely knowledgeable, updates you continually and keeps to his promises. He does not mind how many questions you ask, or how many emails you send. He gives you his time and is happy to chat anything through.
Legal 500 [UK 2023]