James Early

Senior Counsel

Clerk

Bar Admissions

  • Alberta, 2006
  • Northwest Territories, 2018

Education

  • LL.B., Sheffield Hallam University, 2003

Professional Accreditations and Affiliations

  • Law Society of Alberta
  • Law Society of the Northwest Territories
  • Canadian Bar Association

About Lawyer

James (he/him/his) is a Senior Litigator at ATL’s Calgary office. Prior to his time with ATL, James was a senior litigation associate at an international law firm. His career has also included time as a partner at a prestigious Alberta-based law firm, and as a personal injury lawyer at Alberta’s largest personal injury firm, making him an experienced, well-rounded and adaptable lawyer.

His area of practice is general insurance defence litigation with expertise and interest in personal injury, motor vehicle collisions, product liability, premises liability, social and commercial host liability and environmental liability.  James graduated from law school in the United Kingdom in 2003, and was called to the bar in in Alberta in 2006. In 2018, James was called to the bar in the Northwest Territories. 

James has appeared before all levels of court in Alberta, and has been lead counsel on several Queen’s Bench trials during his years as a litigator. James prides himself on his ability to educate his clients to ensure that they understand, in plain English, the complexities of the litigation process.

Personal Interests

Outside of law, James is dedicated to his family and the environment. If he is not spending time camping or hiking in nature with his wife, son and dog, then he is helping protect the environment by serving on the Board of Directors of the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society, Canada’s only charity dedicated to the protection of public land, freshwater and oceans. In that role, James also serves as the Chair of the CPAWS Southern Alberta Governance Committee. He has previously served as a Chair on the Board of Directors of the Friends of Kananaskis Country, and as a volunteer coordinator at the Calgary Folk Music Festival.

James is actively involved with the Aviva Canada Origins Community, with a specific interest in indigenous decolonization, truth and reconciliation issues within Canada. James would like to acknowledge, publicly, that he lives, works and plays on Treaty 7 territory; the homelands of the Niitsitapi (Siksiká, Káinai, Piikáni), Îyârhe Nakoda, Tsuut’ina and the Métis Nation, Region 3.