Complex sentence: James was made QC in 1850 but was not elected a bencher of the Inner Temple as was customary, perhaps because of the establishment's distaste for his radical sympathies and the nature of his practice.
Split into simpler sentences: James was made QC in 1850 but was not elected a bencher of the Inner Temple as was customary. This may have been because of the Establishment's distaste for his radical sympathies and the nature of his practice.