Christopher’s practice includes all aspects of company litigation including proceedings against directors, disputes between shareholders, directors’ disqualification and applications for the restoration of companies to the register.
He acts on behalf of directors; companies; shareholders; creditors; other individuals; and, as Junior Counsel to the Crown, a range of government departments, including the Registrar of Companies, the Secretary of State for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy, the Official Receiver and the Attorney General.
Cases and Work of Note
Welsh Ministers v Price [2017] EWCA Civ 1768 (Civ); [2018] 1 WLR 738; [2018] BCC 93; [2018] 1 BCLC 1. Representing the Registrar of Companies at a second appeal as to the circumstances in which it is permissible and, where permissible, appropriate to join a third party to proceedings for restoration of a dissolved company to the register of companies.
Advising the Registrar of Companies in a number of different cases as to whether the court had jurisdiction to restore companies to the register of companies.
Advising the Secretary of State for Education and the Education and Skills Funding Agency in respect of (i) the Secretary of State’s power pursuant to section 128 of the Education and Skills Act 2008 to direct that a former director/trustee of an academy trust may not take part in the management of an independent educational institution, and (ii) the prospects of recovering funding misapplied by the former director/trustee.
Re Caledonian Commodities Ltd; Re Caledonian Ltd [2016] EWHC 2854 (Ch). Acting for the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy seeking the winding up of the companies in the public interest, pursuant to section 124A of the Insolvency Act 1986, on the basis they had had mis-sold investments to members of the public, including precious metals, carbon credits, rare earth metals and coloured diamonds.
Taylor v Secretary of State for Business, Innovation & Skills [2016] EWHC 1953 (Ch); [2016] 2 BCLC 350. Acting for Mr Taylor seeking to reduce the period of a disqualification undertaking given by him pursuant to section 8A of the Company Directors Disqualification Act 1986. Only the second reported application under such section.
All aspects of directors’ disqualification, including acting for the Secretary of State/Official Receiver and defendant directors; permission to act applications under both sections 11 and 17; applications under section 8A; appeals; and claims asserting personal liability for a company’s debts as a result of acting in breach of a disqualification.
Advising a group of approximately 200 claimants in respect of the impact of the T&N/Federal-Mogul restructuring and their rights in respect of the trusts established as part of such restructuring.
Advising a wife who had obtained a substantial award in matrimonial proceedings as to whether she could enforce such award against various assets owned by offshore trusts and foreign registered companies believed to be connected with her former husband.
Advising the Health and Safety Executive as to the impact of the UK Coal restructuring.
Acting for a broker on its applications for late registration of a number of charges granted by different companies which secured several million pounds of lending by its clients.
