In fact, James' first degree was in commerce and his first career was as an equity analyst. But his commerce degree had given James a taste of the law, and he later remarked that many of the leaders he met within business circles were lawyers.

Thus, James soon found himself back at university completing a law degree and he has never looked back.

Now, within a legal career spanning only four years, James has worked on some of Australia's most significant and high-profile mergers and acquisitions - something he believes has been amply assisted by his commercial background.

"[Working as an equity analyst] was a really useful time for me. It gave me perspective and allowed me to have a view of the important drivers of various businesses," he says.

There is no question in James' mind that he should be a transactional lawyer, and his career highlight thus far is working for CSR in relation to its proposed sale of Sucrogen - its sugar and renewable energy business - to Wilmar International Limited for $1.75 billion.

"I really enjoyed working with Andrew Pike and Philippa Stone on that deal, and I think the actual deal itself, if and when it completes, is a great outcome for the shareholders. It delivers a lot of value and it also delivers their strategic aims," he says.

James openly lauds the fact he gets to work on many of the market's big ticket items and relishes being at the cutting-edge of mergers and acquisitions, especially when they have a lasting effect on the Australian economy.

"I have been lucky so far to work on a large number of cutting-edge deals," he says.

"First and foremost is the sale of Santos' LNG interest. That was fairly novel at the time and I look back on that with a little bit of pride, seeing as it was one of the deals that kicked off the LNG industry in Queensland."

And while James appears to be destined for big things in the mergers and acquisitions space, having already advised numerous high-profile clients on some of the most complex, groundbreaking and strategic deals of recent times, he is keeping his ambitions in check.

"I'll be honest and say that long-term career aspirations are important to me, but I try not to lose focus on the day to day work," he says.

"As long as I do my best here, helping our clients in their various matters, I tend to think that the rest will take care of itself."

Click on the images to read more profiles of the Lawyers Weekly 2010 Young Guns: