Our Team

Barry & James LLP

Our Team

Mitchell R.P. Barry

Mitchell is a partner with Barry & James LLP. Born and raised in Drumheller, Mitchell obtained his BA and JD from the University of Saskatchewan. He was admitted to the Law Society of Alberta in 2020.

Mitchell has a general practice with a focus on real estate, corporate/commercial, and estate planning matters. He has appeared before all levels of courts in Alberta.

Mitchell currently resides in Drumheller with his wife and young daughter. Outside of the office, Mitchell enjoys travelling, playing sports, and collecting hockey cards.

Michael S.B. James

Michael is a partner with Barry & James LLP. Michael was born in Edmonton and spent his childhood and early adulthood living outside of, and eventually in, Edmonton. Michael attended the University of Alberta and earned his BSc with Honours in Paleontology and his MSc in Evolutionary Biology. In 2010, after finishing his graduate degree, Michael moved to Drumheller and spent time working at the Royal Tyrrell Museum and The Drumheller Mail.

In 2016, Michael returned to the University of Alberta to study law and earned his Juris Doctor in 2019. By then, Drumheller was home, so Michael then spent the following year articling under Colin Kloot in Drumheller. Michael was admitted to the Law Society of Alberta in 2020.

Michael operates a general practice that includes real estate, estates, corporate/commercial, municipal law, family law, civil litigation, and criminal defence.

Michael currently resides in Drumheller with his wife and two sons. Michael enjoys woodworking, reading, playing video games, and hiking when he is not at the office.

Norman L. Tainsh

Norm is a consultant with Barry & James LLP. Born in Three Hills, Norm graduated with an LLB from the University of Alberta in 1975. After articling with the Edmonton firm, Reynolds Mirth Richards & Farmer LLP, Norm was admitted to the Law Society of Alberta in 1976. Norm returned home to Three Hills in 1977 and opened Norman L. Tainsh Law Office, which he continued to operate until February of 2023.

Norm continues to practice on a part time basis with a focus on real estate, corporate/commercial, and estate planning matters.

Jaco la Grange

Jaco (Jack) is an associate with Barry & James LLP. He was born in South Africa, where he graduated with an LLB and began his legal career in 2009. He became a partner in a well-established South African law firm in 2013. After roughly nine years of practising law, Jaco’s sense of adventure led him to Jeju Island in South Korea where he was employed as a teacher from 2017 to 2020. He returned to South Africa in 2021, where he obtained a masters degree in International Trade Law in 2022. Later in 2022, he relocated to Canada, and in 2023, he obtained a Certificate of Qualification from the Federation of Law Societies of Canada. Jaco started his articles at Barry & James LLP (then Kloot and Associates) in 2023 and was admitted to the Law Society of Alberta in 2024.

Jaco operates a general practice that includes real estate, estates, corporate/commercial, contracts, collections, family law, general civil litigation, and criminal defence.

Jaco currently resides in Drumheller with his significant other, Martina, and their dog, Oatmeal. He enjoys reading, watchmaking, camping, travelling, hiking, working out, and golfing in his free time.

Brandon C. Crotser

Brandon is currently a Student-at-Law with Barry & James LLP. Brandon was born and raised in Three Hills. After graduating from Prairie Christian Academy in 2013, Brandon attended Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia. In 2017 Brandon graduated Summa Cum Laude from Liberty University with both a BSc in Western Legal Traditions and a BSc in Criminal Justice while minoring in Philosophy.

In 2017, after graduating from his undergraduate programs, Brandon then attended Liberty University’s Rawlings School of Divinity. Brandon graduated with High Distinction from the Rawlings School of Divinity in 2019 with a Master of Arts in Religion – Theology.

In 2019, after graduating from the Rawlings School of Divinity, Brandon then attended Indiana University of Bloomington’s Maurer School of Law in Bloomington, Indiana. While attending the Maurer School of Law, Brandon was selected to partake in both the Elmore Entrepreneurship Law Clinic and the Segel Fellowship, both of which allowed him to provide legal services for small businesses in Bloomington and the surrounding area. Brandon graduated from the Maurer School of Law in 2023 with his Juris Doctor degree.

While attending the Maurer School of Law, in 2021, Brandon was selected to partake in the Juris Doctor/Master of Business Administration joint program in co-operation with Sungkyunkwan University’s Graduate School of Business (SKK GSB) located in Seoul, South Korea. Brandon graduated from SKK GSB in 2022 with his Master of Business Administration.

Brandon formally began his articles with Barry & James LLP in October, 2024, and is planning on completing said articles by the end of 2025.

Brandon currently resides in Three Hills. In his free time, Brandon enjoys watching the Calgary Flames, collecting hockey cards, brewing mead, and reading.