Christopher joined chambers in September 2022 having successfully completed his pupillage. He accepts instructions across all Chambers’ practice areas.
Planning and Environment
During pupillage, Christopher was involved in a variety of planning and environmental law matters including:
- Resisting a series of judicial reviews to a major housing development on the outskirts of Canterbury;
- Assisting on a challenge in the High Court to a local authority’s grant of planning permission for a site in a special area of conservation on the basis that the authority had failed to properly consider the impact of development on nitrogen depositions;
- Advising a homeowner on the enforceability of a restrictive covenant in the context of a planning dispute;
- Advising a chain of companies owning a major renewable energy site on liability under the Electricity Act 1989;
- Preparing an application to the High Court seeking a declaration as to the proper interpretation of a statute governing the management of a public park in the context of a proposed major development.
Commercial, Construction and Property Law
Christopher is particularly interested in construction and property law and was recently led by David Sawtell in an adjudication arising from the delivery of ~£10m of defective metalwork.
During pupillage, Christopher worked on a range of commercial and construction matters including:
- Assisting Paul Darling KC and David Hopkins in the drafting of a skeleton argument seeking permission to appeal against a refusal to award summary judgment on enforcement of adjudication award;
- Conducting research for David Sawtell on the Building Safety Act 2022;
- Advising on the validity of a deed executed by only one party;
- Drafting a skeleton argument opposing an application to set aside a statutory demand.
Public Law
Christopher hopes to develop a broad public law practice and is a member of the Government’s Junior Junior scheme.
During pupillage, Christopher assisted on a variety of public law matters including:
- Drafting a skeleton argument seeking permission to enforce costs against a previously legally aided claimant;
- Advising on liability, quantum and next steps in relation to a claim for data breaches brought against a Government department;
- Assisting in seeking permission to appeal to the Court of Appeal in a judicial review of the Secretary of State for Education’s decision not to extend a ban on unregulated placements for looked after children to 16–17-year-olds;
- Responding to an application for permission to appeal to the Court of Appeal on the scope of Parliamentary Privilege in the context of the TOEIC English language tests scandal;
- Drafting particulars of claim alleging breaches of Article 8 by a local authority for their decision to initiate care proceedings and dismantling the Claimant’s Education, Health and Care Plan;
- Drafting a notice of objections in response to an application for permission to appeal to the Supreme Court in the context of an entry clearance case raising Article 8 issues.
Civil Liability
Christopher appears regularly in the county courts in civil matters, and frequently drafts pleadings.
During pupillage, Christopher gained experience of drafting statements of case, schedules, advices and legal research on a variety of matters including:
- Conducting research for Neil Block KC on the legal framework of Fatal Accidents Claims pre-1976;
- Drafting pleadings and schedules/counter-schedules of loss in personal injury, fatal accidents and clinical negligence matters;
- Advising a school on whether they were liable for personal injury suffered by a pupil during a PE lesson;
- Drafting a counter schedule and advising on parameters for settlement in a road traffic accident claim pleaded at over £3 million;
- Assisting in the preparation of a clinical negligence trial, focussing on whether informed consent was obtained from the claimant, including by drafting a supplementary skeleton argument responding to a legal point raised by the Claimant.
