James Lingard, educated at Dulwich College and University College London, was a leading City of London solicitor specialising in banking and insolvency law as a partner in Norton Rose. He wrote Lingard's Bank Security Documents now in its 7th edition.

He became a Council Member of the Association of Business Recovery Professionals (now R3); Council Member of the European Association of Insolvency Practitioners (now Insol Europe); Founding President of the Insolvency Lawyers Association; Chairman of the Banking Law Sub Committee and the Insolvency Law Sub Committee of the City of London Law Society; Chairman of the Joint Insolvency Examination Board; a Member of the insolvency licensing committee of the Institute of Chartered Accountants and a Judicial Chairman of the Insolvency Practitioners Tribunal.

Since retirement, he wrote various books:

THE GIRL WHO DISAPPEARED a fact-based 20th century historical romance with a strong female lead set in Britain in the 1930s and during WW2.  Emily elopes. https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07YMZHKS9

TRAPPED IN IRAN is a 20th century historical thriller inspired by real events. A group of Israeli engineers is trapped in central Iran when Ayatollah Khomeini returns from exile. https://amzn.to/3QSSaXt 

THE CAUCASUS CAULDRON is a 20th century historical thriller set in the Caucasus Mountains during Georgia's ill-fated invasion of Abkhazia in 1992, a world ravaged by never ending hatred and blood feuds. Details of the book are at https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B08LN2V3H6 or at https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08LNBVDHB

BRITAIN AT WAR 1939 TO 1945: What Was Life Like During the War? is a concise history of World War 2 with an emphasis on the social history of what life was like in Britain, written from the standpoint of people directly involved. UCL People (University College London) (March 2009) ‘This short but powerful book brings together personal reflections with the historical and political context - - -interwoven with quotations from Churchill’s speeches and overviews of the major campaigns.https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0793Q1CLN

Amy's Bookshelf Reviews made him one of its Legacy Authors and ranked him a 2022 top 20 author.