Dr James Farmer KC practices as a barrister in Auckland in the areas of commercial and public law. He has a specialty in competition law. He graduated LLM. (First Class Honours) from Auckland University and Ph.D from Cambridge University where he later lectured in law as a Fellow of Gonville and Caius College.
He was a director of Air New Zealand from 1989 to 2003 and of Team New Zealand from 2003 to 2013. He was appointed Queen’s Counsel in New South Wales in 1985 where he practiced for 10 years and in New Zealand in 1986. He was a founding member of the New Zealand Bar Association and was its President in 2 periods for a total of 8 years.