Leeha James brings over 26 years of experience representing a diverse range of clients, including individuals, trade unions, community organisations, and professional bodies across Australia. Her practice is focused on compensation law, with particular attention to cases involving fatal and catastrophic injuries, complex trauma, workplace health and safety issues, psychosocial hazards, and occupational cancer. Leeha has dedicated her career to providing expert legal support in personal injury matters across a range of areas including workplace injuries, motor vehicle accidents, medical negligence, disability and superannuation claims, death and dependency, and occupational diseases. The team at James Law works under Leeha's leadership, maintaining consistent values that prioritise fairness and respect. Clients benefit from transparent fee structures, including no-win, no-fee arrangements and fair fees without uplift, helping to ease the financial pressures often associated with legal proceedings. Leeha has demonstrated a strong commitment to supporting firefighters and first responders, notably contributing to the successful advocacy for presumptive cancer legislation for all firefighters, including volunteers, during the 2015 Queensland Parliamentary Committee hearings. This work reflects her dedication to advancing important legislative reforms in compensation law. Leeha holds accreditation as a Personal Injuries Accredited Specialist from the Queensland Law Society and was admitted to practice in the Supreme Court of Queensland and the High Court of Australia in 1998. Her educational background includes a Bachelor of Laws from QUT and a Bachelor of Arts with Honours from Griffith University, majoring in Australian Politics and Media Production. Additionally, she completed practice management training through the Queensland Law Society. In leadership roles, Leeha served as President of the Bayside Community Legal Service between 2019 - 2023 and as a Non-Executive Director of Sunwater from 2021 - 2025. Since 2021, she has also contributed as a member of the Queensland Law Society Professional Misconduct Committee. She has been a proactive member of the Queensland Law Society Torts and Personal Injury Law Committee since 2012, where she advocates for enhancements in compensation and insurance law, striving to protect clients' rights and entitlements. These positions demonstrate her commitment to legal governance and community service alongside her legal practice.
Non Executive Director
Sunwater
Sep 2021 - Sep 2025 • 4 years
President
Bayside Community Legal Service (BCLS)
Aug 2019 - Sep 2023 • 4 years 1 month
Founding Director
Firefighters Cancer Foundation Australia Ltd. (FCFA)
Aug 2015 - Oct 2016 • 1 year 2 months
Principal Director
James Law
May 2014 - Present • 12 years 6 months
Special Counsel
McInnes Wilson Lawyers
Nov 2012 - Apr 2014 • 1 year 5 months
Principal
Hall Payne Lawyers
Mar 1998 - Oct 2012 • 14 years 7 months
Articled Law Clerk
Stubbs Barbeler Grant Lawyers
Feb 1996 - Feb 1998 • 2 years
Articled Law Clerk
Bennet Carroll and Gibbons Solicitors
Dec 1993 - Feb 1996 • 2 years 2 months
Accredited Specialist Personal Injury Law
QLS
2006
Bachelor of Laws (LL.B.), Law
QUT (Queensland University of Technology)
1993 - 1998
Bachelor's Degree, Arts in Humanties
Griffith University
1989 - 1993
Last checked: 21 Oct 2025 • Checked with Queensland Law Society
