Sarah
James

Sarah James is a Partner and the Global Head of Adaptive at Simmons & Simmons, and a recognised expert on legal talent, people strategy, and the Future of Work. She specialises in how in‑house and private practice teams can redesign roles, careers and operating models in response to rapid change, from AI and digital tools to shifting expectations of work and leadership.

Since joining Simmons & Simmons in 2016, Sarah has led the strategy and growth of Adaptive, the firm’s global flexible legal resource business. Under her leadership, Adaptive has become an award‑winning platform across the UK, Hong Kong, and Singapore, enabling clients to access high‑calibre lawyers on a flexible basis while offering lawyers more agile and sustainable careers. Her work focuses on building future‑ready legal workforces: blending permanent, flexible and project‑based talent, and helping organisations rethink how and where legal work gets done.

Sarah is particularly interested in the intersection of technology and people, how AI and digital tools are reshaping the “human premium” in legal work, and what this means for skills, career paths and leadership. She advises clients on talent strategy, workforce design and new models of legal resourcing, helping legal leaders to navigate change, engage their people and build teams that are both digitally fluent and human‑centred.

In 2022, Sarah became the firm’s first non‑lawyer to be promoted to partner reflecting her contribution to innovation, talent and business strategy. She is a committed sponsor and mentor, including to two apprentices, and is actively involved in the firm’s Diversity, Equity & Inclusion initiatives and alumni programme. Across all of her work, Sarah is focused on creating inclusive, flexible and future‑proof opportunities for legal professionals and on helping organisations unlock the full potential of their people.