Barrister Profile

Profile

Chris has been a tenant in Chambers since successful completion of his pupillage on 1 October 2009.  Chris is available to accept instruction in all areas of Chambers' practice. 

Before being called to the Bar, Chris was a Strategy Consultant for Accenture and after completion of the BVC was the Mergers and Acquisitions Manager for media group News International.

Areas of Practice

Employment

Chris appears regularly for Claimants and Respondents in multi-day cases in Employment Tribunals.  He appeared recently in Simpson v Merrick in the EAT in which Mr Justice Mitting commented that he delivered his submissions with "skill and economy".

Recent cases have included the following areas of law:

• Unfair dismissal (including redundancy and misconduct)
• Sex, age, race and disability discrimination
• TUPE (including the impact of insolvency)
• Restrictive Covenants
• Holiday and Working Time
• Costs

Significant recent cases include:

• Silcox v Levack - a sex and pregnancy discrimination case on behalf of the Claimant nanny, reported in the Equal Opportunities Review (2009)

Chris has also been instructed to advise on the merits of cases and draft ET1s and ET3s.  

During his pupillage, Chris gained experience of many areas of discrimination law alongside Akash Nawbatt:

• Dean v Ambercrombie & Fitch (2009) (disability discrimination)
• Maughan v British Airways (2009) (racial discrimination)
• Hollyer v British Airways (2009) (age discrimination)

Chris also assisted during pupillage in a number of restrictive covenant and fiduciary duty cases, and in the case of Royden v Barnetts Solicitors (Lawtel) regarding TUPE transfer of solicitors.

Personal Injury

Chris advises on a range of cases both in relation to liability and quantum and is familiar with drafting pleadings and opinions.  Chris has appeared at county court trials and  inquests.

Chris's cases have involved occupiers’ liability, accidents at work, and road traffic accidents. 

During his pupillage, Chris worked alongside Robert Weir QC on PI cases involving human rights (Snatch Landrover inquiry) and conflicts of law (Knight v Axa Assurance [2009] EWHC 1900 (QB)). Chris also gained experience of stress at work claims and psychiatric injuries.

Sport

Chris is available for instruction on all employment aspects of sports law as well as disciplinary matters.

Chris was instructed by the Claimant in Kevin Keegan v Newcastle United Football Company Ltd [2010] IRLR 94, in the Premier League Manager's Arbitration Tribunal.

Chris has also been instructed by David Pleat in an employment matter.

Commercial

Chris has been instructed to draft pleadings and appear in a number of fast and multi-track contractual disputes in the County Courts.  Recently Chris was instructed on a multi-track debt-recovery case.

Chris is instructed in Southern Rock Insurance v Endsleigh Insurance (2009) in a breach of contract claim against a claims handling service arising out of 50,000 motor insurance claims (led by Colin Edelman QC and Richard Harrison) and was led by Colin Wynter QC at the interlocutory application for a mandatory interim injunction ([2010] EWHC 611 (Comm)).

Chris is available for instruction in all areas of professional negligence and has been recently instructed to advise on solicitors' and architects' negligence cases.

During his pupillage, Chris observed high profile insurance cases with Andrew Burns including the asbestos-related employers' liability 'trigger' cases and litigation arising out of the Yarls Wood detention centre riot.

Chris has been instructed by HMRC in the following tax cases:

• Davies & James v HMRC; Gaines-Cooper v HMRC [2010] EWCA Civ 83 (Court of Appeal; individual residence)
• Nomura v HMRC (2009) (Tax Tribunal)

Seminars and Publications 

Chris has delivered seminars to solicitors on the following topics:

• Litigation in the Premier League Managers' Arbitration Tribunal
• Confidence and Restrictive Covenants

Chris has had the following articles published:

• Leaving on a Jet Plane: the practical implications of Gaines-Cooper v HMRC, Taxation (2010)
• Case report on Chagger v Abbey National, ELA Briefing (2010)

Education

• Bar Vocational Course, BPP Law School (Outstanding)
• Graduate Diploma in Law, BPP Law School
• MA (International Affairs), Australian National University
• BA (Hons) Modern History and Economics, St Anne's College, Oxford

Scholarships and awards

• Megarry Scholarship, Lincoln’s Inn
• Droop Scholarship, Lincoln’s Inn
• Buchanan Prize, Lincoln’s Inn
• Chancellor's Letter of Commendation, Australian National University
• Academic Scholar, St Anne’s College, Oxford

Professional Memberships

PIBA, ELA, Free Representation Unit, Bar Pro Bono Unit