Areas Of Practice
Corporate and Commercial, including Fraud & Asset Recovery, Insolvency, Company Law, Shareholder Disputes, Banking, and Professional Negligence.
Christopher Harrison's practice is principally litigation-based. He has developed considerable court experience, both alone and as a junior to a number of silks, both in relation to substantive proceedings and associated ancillary relief. The current edition of Legal 500 ranks him in the fields of Civil Fraud, Company, and Banking & Finance, commenting that he is "bright, quick and gets straight to the point". He is noted by Chambers & Partners as someone who has "earned plaudits from clients for his 'responsiveness' and 'rigour"' and is ranked by that publication in the field of Commercial Chancery. He is also one of Legal Business's Legal Experts in Company Law and Fraud & Asset Recovery.
In relation to insolvency and fraud and asset recovery, he has been extensively involved in the litigation resulting from a number of the well-known corporate collapses of recent years, including BCCI and Maxwell, dealing with many claims based on restitutionary actions and proceedings under the Insolvency Act or for professional negligence, together with related relief such as freezing injunctions and s.236 examinations. In recent years he has dealt with a number of extremely document-heavy cases, often involving an international aspect, and has worked with lawyers in various jurisdictions including the US, the Cayman Islands, and Luxembourg. His involvement in relation to BCCI concerned a claim for some $3 billion, in which he headed-up the team of junior barristers.
He also has much litigation experience in relation to various corporate claims such as directors' disqualification and shareholder remedies, and has been a member of the Crown's B panel acting for the government in relation to numerous company and insolvency matters. On the banking and commercial side, recent court work includes an appeal to the House of Lords clarifying the law as to the extent to which the English court will extend its territorial reach to a bank account situated abroad.
He practices in both the Chancery Division and the Commercial Court.
Cases Of Interest
Société Eram Shipping Co Ltd v Cie Internationale de Navigation [2004] 1 AC 260
House of Lords; whether an English third party debt order can operate against a foreign bank; conflict of laws.
Lewis v Secretary of State for Trade & Industry [2001] 2 BCLC 597
Directors' disqualification; procedure.
Morris v Bank of America [2000] 1 All ER 954
BCCI; fraudulent trading under s.213 Insolvency Act 1986; strike-out; case-management.
Goldberg v Secretary of State for Trade & Industry [2001] EWCA Civ 1237
Directors' disqualification; appeal.
Sasea Finance Ltd (In Liquidation) v KPMG [2000] 1 All ER 676
Auditors; professional negligence; causation.
Secretary of State for Trade & Industry v Leyton Housing Trustees Ltd [2000] 2 BCLC 808
Public interest winding-up petition.
Sasea Finance Ltd (In Liquidation) v KPMG [1998] BCC 216
Auditors; production of documents under s.236 Insolvency Act 1986.
Securities and Investments Board v Scandex Capital Management A/S [1998] 1 WLR 712
Financial services; unauthorised investment business; interim payment.
Re Pinstripe Farming Co Ltd [1996] BCLC 295
Appointment of provisional liquidator; public-interest winding-up petition.
Appointments
DTI Inspector (1996)
Overseas Qualifications
Called to the Bars of the Cayman Islands and of the Turks & Caicos Islands for specific cases
Languages
Spanish
Professional
Member of the Commercial Bar Association and the Chancery Bar Association