James is an accomplished legal professional with extensive experience in research in diverse areas of law, including energy, and natural resources, business and human rights, sustainable development, environment and land, law and gender, indigenous law, and Alternative Dispute Resolution, among others. He is in charge of research and publications at the Centre; and a member of the coordinating team of the Africa Extractives Industry Knowledge Hub under the Natural Resource Governance Institute (NRGI). He is also the Kenyan coordinator of the Mineral Law in Africa (MLiA) Project that seeks to develop the first book on Mineral Law and Governance in Africa for Kenya.

James has previously led the Legal Research Team in the African Mining Legislation Atlas (AMLA) and the African Petroleum Legislation Atlas (APLA) (Pilot Phase) under the Africa Legal Support Facility (ALSF). James is passionate about sustainable exploitation and utilization of natural resources and the importance of action research in green transition. He holds a Bachelor Laws (LLB) Degree from the University of Nairobi and a Postgraduate Diploma in Law from the Kenya School of Law.