James Odell

James heads Elevate’s business in Asia Pacific. He brings significant front-line experience managing major international law firms across developed and emerging markets, having been based previously in London, Hong Kong, and Singapore. Prior to joining Elevate in 2013, James was COO at Baker & McKenzie, responsible for the delivery of all business services functions to the practice in South East Asia and Australia. During that period, Baker & McKenzie was recognized for excellence in South East Asia by Chambers, named ‘Law Firm/Legal Advisor of The Year’ by the Financial Times and Mergermarket, and named Australia’s ‘International Firm of the Year’ by Australian Legal Business. Prior to Baker & McKenzie, James served on Linklaters’ central Strategy and Planning team, advising the Firm’s global executive committee during a period of post-merger consolidation and rapid profitability growth. ​ James began his career in defence aerospace and has a master’s degree in aeronautical engineering from the University of Bristol. He is based in Sydney.