James Ware

James is a highly experienced intellectual property lawyer with particular expertise in the creative industries, known for advising on rights ownership and related commercial transactions extending to acquisitions and disposals. Clients value James’s commercial insight, industry experience and longstanding involvement in his specialist areas of practice.

His practice spans the full lifecycle of creative projects, from the development of ideas and concepts through to their implementation, commercialisation and ongoing rights protection. His clients extend across the creative industries, including music, theatre, media, design, fashion, branding and technology. Over his career James has acquired extensive experience in related corporate, capital and transactional activity.

James trained in the City as a commercial lawyer, specialising initially in banking and transactional work for venture capitalists whilst developing an interest in copyright and the entertainment industry. He subsequently followed his passion for music, setting up his own firm in Notting Hill Gate, before moving to the Virgin Group, where he set up its legal and business affairs department. He has held senior legal and commercial roles throughout his career, serving as Managing Director and regional Vice President of the UK and European music publishing operations of CBS the US media group, with offices in Paris and London. He was a director of the Mechanical Rights Society and chaired its Audit Committee responsible for overseeing the collection and audit of royalty receipts from the collective licensing of mechanical rights for the music publishing industry.

After leaving CBS, James became a partner at Davenport Lyons for 18 years, where he played a key role in developing the firm’s music, media and technology practice. In 2005 he founded his own firm which became James Ware Stephenson.

Throughout his career as a practicing solicitor, apart from representing a wide range of successful performers and composers, James has advised and acted for major banks, media groups, record labels, creative businesses and entrepreneurs.

Pro-bono work: James has given freely of his time in supporting young artists and entrepreneurs in the creative industries. He was on the management committee of Brent Community Law Centre for many years. A Governor of Guildford School of Acting until its merger into the University of Surrey, he has served on the boards of a number of charities. Additionally, he is a founding member of, and remains actively involved with, World Heartbeat.