Practice

“Sought-after for the most high-profile and high-value work, and regularly handles matters from across the full breadth of commercial chancery”

Chambers & Partners, UK Bar, 2020 Edition

Christopher’s practice has been built up over more than 20 years of experience in commercial and chancery litigation, company law, insolvency and civil fraud. He is a highly regarded advocate and adviser, noted for his commercial and tactical approach, attention to detail and unflagging support for his clients.

The leading directories and guides have ranked him for many years. The latest edition of Chambers & Partners UK notes that he is a leading junior in five areas – Commercial Dispute Resolution, Chancery Commercial, Company, Civil Fraud and Restructuring/Insolvency – and in addition to the above quotation identifies his strengths as:

  • “very bright, strategic in his thinking, collaborative and good on the detail”
  • “unflappable, responsive, good on his feet and totally committed”
  • “excellent technical skills, provides incisive analysis”
  • “fully understands the nuances of a case”
  • “remains focused on efficiently achieving clients’ objectives”
  • “very easy to work with and he’s very good with clients”
  • “very diligent in his preparation”
  • “incredibly thorough”
  • “very bright and has a nice courtroom manner”
  • “extensive knowledge and experience in the law in commercial cases with a chancery angle”.

Legal 500 similarly ranks him in the five areas of Commercial Litigation, Banking & Finance, Company & Partnership, Civil Fraud and Insolvency and notes “very thorough in his analysis, he gave clear pragmatic advice to the client and was a pleasure to work with”, “very erudite and thorough to a tee”, “his advice is particularly polished” and “a well-prepared and courteous advocate who presents a client’s case with care and articulacy.”

Other recent editions have noted more concisely that he is “superb” and “a class advocate”, emphasising that he is “very astute strategically”, “excellent with clients”, “personable, intelligent and a joy to work with”, “a team player” and “charming and willing to put himself out”.

His work often has an international dimension and he has worked with lawyers in many jurisdictions.

Practice areas

Commercial dispute resolution

Commercial disputes are at the heart of Christopher’s practice. He has wide-ranging experience in the Business and Property Courts in the Commercial Court and the Chancery Division and abroad in the Caribbean jurisdictions. He deals with all aspects of claims, recognising in particular the importance of interim steps such as injunctive relief and targeted disclosure applications in bringing about a successful outcome. He has considerable trial experience. He recognises too that many clients will wish to resolve their disputes without litigation or arbitration and so has achieved many successful outcomes through mediation and other forms of ADR.

Chambers & Partners and Legal 500 both rank him as a leading junior. They note his “excellent technical skills” and “incisive analysis”, that “his advice is particularly polished”, and that he “remains focused on efficiently achieving clients’ objectives” and “is unflappable, responsive, good on his feet and totally committed”.

Banking & finance

Christopher has extensive experience of acting both for and against many of the well-known banks. Recent examples include a claim against Co-op Bank on a distressed debt transaction, claims by Richard Desmond, the former owner of the Express Newspaper group, in relation to complex derivative products, claims against one of the major brokerage firms arising from the closing-out of option trades, claims by Barclays Bank for payment on derivative transactions, and a bank’s defence to a forex trading claim.

Legal 500 ranks him as a leading junior, recognising that he is “Very erudite and thorough to a tee”.

Company law

Christopher regularly acts for claimants and defendants in all aspects of company disputes, with a particular focus on shareholder claims, directors’ duties and disqualification proceedings. Recent examples include claims by members of the Saudi Arabian Royal family, the defence of a claim by the former wife of Boris Berezovsky, a dispute about the rights to the development of disruptive technology for electric-powered cars and a fight over the ownership of a UK chain of pharmacies.

Chambers & Partners and Legal 500 both rank him as a leading junior, recognising that he is “well regarded for his handling of big-ticket claims, particularly shareholder disputes, and regularly tackles large cross-border matters, particularly those involving the Caribbean and CIS regions”.

Christopher’s expertise in this area is recognised too by his authorship of parts of Oxford University Press’s ‘Annotated Companies Legislation’, particularly the chapters on Shareholder Remedies (Derivative Claims and Unfairly Prejudicial Conduct) and on Meetings.

Chancery: commercial

Christopher practices across the range of Chancery Commercial claims. This often involves freezing injunctions and other interim relief and jurisdictional issues. He has been involved in the litigation resulting from many of the well-known corporate collapses of recent years, including Enron, Lehmans, the Icelandic banks and BCCI.

Chambers & Partners ranks him as a leading junior, identifying him as “A distinguished senior junior who regularly appears unled in trials and appeals; sought-after for the most high-profile and high-value work, and regularly handles matters from across the full breadth of commercial chancery.”

Insolvency & restructuring

Christopher has wide-ranging experience of all aspects of corporate and personal insolvency, from the very largest (a multi-billion dollar claim relating to BCCI) to those involving smaller amounts but difficult questions of law. Recent examples include set-off claims resulting from the collapse of Lehmans, multi-million pound claims arising from the collapse of a cross-border alcohol trading business and disputes on jurisdiction caused by the collapse of AIB and the Irish banking crisis.

Chambers & Partners and Legal 500 both rank him as a leading junior. They note that he “has developed a highly regarded insolvency practice which is complemented by his wider strength in chancery commercial matters. He features regularly in high-profile cross-border cases and … is known for his expertise in obtaining freezing injunctions and also practises as a barrister in the Cayman Islands and Turks & Caicos Islands.”

Fraud – civil

Civil fraud and asset recovery claims have always been one of the key parts of Christopher’s practice. He deals with all aspects, from the initial crucial steps of freezing injunctive relief, through to interim applications such as specific disclosure, and then on to the trial, and including the subsequent recovery actions to give effect to the relief awarded. He acts for both claimants and defendants. Recent examples include claims arising from an insurance brokerage fraud, recoveries by a European bank in respect of a cross-border fraud and an action against multiple defendants on an employee fraud.

Chambers & Partners and Legal 500 both rank him as a leading junior, noting that he is “very thorough in his analysis, he gave clear pragmatic advice to the client and was a pleasure to work with”.

Financial services

Christopher has extensive experience of litigation in the financial services area, both for claimants and defendants. Recent examples include a claim against Co-op Bank on a distressed debt transaction, claims by Richard Desmond, the owner of the Express Newspaper group, in relation to complex derivative products, claims against one of the major brokerage firms arising from the closing-out of option trades, claims by Barclays Bank for payment on derivative transactions and a bank’s defence to claims on Forex trading.

Offshore litigation

Christopher’s work frequently has an international dimension. He has appeared in the Courts in the Cayman Islands and the Turks & Caicos Islands where he has been called to their Bars for specific cases. He works with lawyers in many jurisdictions, including the US, the Caribbean jurisdictions and various European countries. Proceedings with which he has been involved in England have often involved related claims in overseas jurisdictions. He has given expert evidence on English Law for use in foreign claims.

Chambers & Partners Global notes that he is “A charming guy who is very easy to work with. He is always responsive and open to discussion. Very much on top of things, he will go the extra mile to understand the complex issues. Christopher is a sensible, level-headed, commercially-minded advocate whose written work is strong.”

Alternative dispute resolution

Christopher has a high success rate in achieving the right results for his clients through ADR.

Additional info

Cases of interest

Astra Asset Management UK Ltd v Co-operative Bank plc [2019] EWHC 897 (Comm). Distressed debt; Contract; Restitution.

Brent LBC v Francis [2018] BPIR 451. Bankruptcy; Insolvency administration order.

Wilson v SMC Properties Ltd [2016] EWHC 444 (Ch) Insolvency; Asset recovery.

Liberty Mercian Ltd v Cuddy Civil Engineering Ltd [2014] EWHC 3584 (TCC) Contract; Specific performance

Premier Telecommunications Group Ltd v Webb [2014] EWCA Civ 994 Shareholder dispute; Valuation of shares; Contractual interpretation

Fi Call Ltd [2013] EWHC 223 (Ch) Shareholder dispute; Privacy; Right to a fair trial.

What the directories and judges say

Christopher is ranked by the leading directories and guides in several areas.

Chambers & Partners: UK Bar

  • Commercial Dispute Resolution
  • Chancery Commercial
  • Company
  • Civil Fraud
  • Restructuring/Insolvency

Legal 500

  • Commercial Litigation
  • Banking & Finance
  • Company & Partnership
  • Civil Fraud
  • Insolvency

Chambers & Partners: Global

  • Commercial Chancery Dispute Resolution

Who’s Who Legal

  • Civil Fraud

The current editions of the directories and guides have the following comments:

  • “excellent technical skills, provides incisive analysis and remains focused on efficiently achieving clients’ objectives”
  • “unflappable, responsive, good on his feet and totally committed”
  • “very bright, strategic in his thinking, collaborative and good on the detail. He fully understands the nuances of a case”
  • “very easy to work with and he’s very good with clients”
  • “incredibly thorough, has a real eye for detail and is very diligent in his preparation”
  • “very bright and has a nice courtroom manner”
  • “extensive knowledge and experience in the law in commercial cases with a chancery angle”
  • “Very erudite and thorough to a tee”
  • “His advice is particularly polished”
  • “Very thorough in his analysis, he gave clear pragmatic advice to the client and was a pleasure to work with”
  • “His studied, cerebral manner conceals a hard edge to his approach”
  • “He is a well-prepared and courteous advocate who presents a client’s case with care and articulacy”

 

He has been recommended by these publications for many years.

Recent previous editions have referred to him as:

  • “A good person to have on the team. He’s very easy to work with and prepared to make the hard arguments in court as powerfully as possible.”
  • “A class advocate”
  • “Faultless on the detail”
  • “Very astute strategically, and extremely good with clients”
  • “Takes a logical approach to cases and is very objective. He provides a very thorough analysis, which he sets out clearly so that lay clients can understand what’s going on.”
  • “charming and willing to put himself out, and finds creative solutions to difficult legal problems.”
  • “a team player and a forensic and effective litigator”
  • “Very easy to use and willing to roll up his sleeves and get stuck in. He has a commercially realistic approach”
  • “He is regularly instructed as lead or sole counsel in a range of complex disputes”
  • “Readily identifies the key issues and provides detailed advice. He has excellent analytical skills and takes a commercial approach. Personable, intelligent and a joy to work with”
  • “clever, imaginative, hard-working and careful, highly responsive and accessible”
  • “excellent with clients”
  • “superb”
  • “a really nice blend of analytical skills, commercial awareness and punchy advocacy”
  • “combines considerable intellect with personal charm”
  • “comprehensive talents”
  • “an accomplished litigator both in the UK courts and overseas”
  • “always well-prepared and on top of the papers”
  • “an extremely impressive advocate”
Career & appointments

Government-appointed Inspector for Insider-trading Inquiry, 1996
Junior Counsel to the Crown, ‘B’ Panel, 1996-2003

Foreign jurisdictions

Called to the Bars of the Cayman Islands and the Turks & Caicos Islands for specific cases
Works with lawyers in many jurisdictions, including the US, the Caribbean jurisdictions and various European countries

Publications

Publications

Oxford University Press’s ‘Annotated Companies Legislation’: Christopher writes the chapters on Shareholder Remedies (Derivative Claims and Unfairly Prejudicial Conduct) and Meetings

Talks and seminars

Christopher regularly gives talks and presents seminars to law firms and at conferences. Recent topics include Shareholder Disputes (presented at an international conference in Bermuda), Directors’ Duties, Asset Recovery, and the Disclosure Pilot under CPR PD51U. His talks and seminars focus on tactical and practical issues rather than simply the bare bones of the law.

Education & awards

Trinity Hall, Cambridge: MA (Hons), First Class
Gray’s Inn: Atkin Scholar