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Christopher specialises in chancery/commercial, real property and professional negligence work. He has a busy court practice ranging from frequent appearances at trials and interlocutory applications in the Queen’s Bench and Chancery Divisions to contested multi-track trials and applications in District Registries/ County Courts; and before the Property Chamber. He also has a domestic and international arbitration practice. Much of Christopher’s work is advisory – both in writing and in conference. As well as preparing pleadings and other court documents, Christopher is also regularly involved in non-contentious drafting. He routinely appears at mediations/round table conferences and frequently works as part of multi-disciplinary teams and with experts. He is instructed by a large range of solicitors, from city firms to regional High Street firms and from large companies to individuals. He is qualified to accept direct access from the public and is willing to consider work on a CFA basis.
Christopher provides advice, advocacy and drafting in relation to the full spectrum of banking and financial disputes. In recent times, he has had a particular focus on cases relating to swaps/IRHP mis-selling, guarantees and security. He also advises and litigates in connection with constructive trusts and tracing of assets, bills of exchange, consumer credit, confidentiality and investment advice. Many of the cases have an international dimension and he is familiar with conflict of laws issues.
Business litigation is at the heart of Christopher’s practice.
He deals with disputes about commercial disputes of most kinds except shipping contracts. One of his advantages is that he has knowledge and expertise in a number of areas of law, in particular banking, company, civil fraud, conflict of laws and real property and brings this multi-disciplinary experience to the cases in which he is involved.
He also has a domestic and international arbitration practice.
Christopher has appeared in a range of construction and engineering disputes over the years and is skilled in digesting technical and expert evidence. He now principally appears/advises in technically – complex sale of goods/supply of services disputes (including adjudications).
Examples of recent cases include representation of a foreign bank in respect of a number of property sales alleged to have been the subject of misrepresentation; and a claim in the Chancery Division for specific performance of a contract to transfer shares/damages.
Christopher is regularly instructed in chancery disputes and is experienced in the administration of estates, equitable claims (both personal and proprietary), Inheritance Act actions, probate, trusts and wills.
Real estate litigation has always been a significant part of Christopher’s practice and he is very experienced in commercial landlord and tenant, including service charge disputes, rent reviews, dilapidations, breach of covenant claims, 1954 Act applications (opposed and unopposed), break clauses, forfeiture and guarantees, sureties and issues under the Landlord and Tenant Act 1995.
Christopher has considerable experience in these areas and regularly deals with shareholder disputes, claims involving directors’ duties and directors’ disqualifications. He also has knowledge of partnership law and the law relating to LLPs. Christopher frequently advises upon and reviews agreements and deals with partnership and LLP disputes, including the taking of accounts.
Sample work in this area includes:
Christopher acts for and advises companies, directors, debtors and office holders in all areas of corporate and personal insolvency including administrations, liquidations, wrongful and fraudulent trading and misfeasance claims. Many general commercial actions have an insolvency element and Christopher is able to bring a multidisciplinary perspective.
Christopher acted, with Jeremy Callman, in Alts Limited v. Ridgeway Motors (Isleworth) Limited [2005] 1 WLR 2871 [2005] EWCA Civ 92 (Court of Appeal) which determined whether a bankruptcy/winding up petition was statute-barred by s.24 of the Limitation Act 1980 after 6 years.
Christopher frequently deals with litigation, advice and drafting in the field of residential landlord and tenant, including possession actions, service charge disputes, rights of first refusal, breach of covenant disputes, forfeiture/enforcement and human rights issues.
Christopher has experience, both advisory and as an advocate, in this often – complex field. He frequently puts his substantive knowledge to use in enfranchisement – related negligence actions.
Christopher routinely advises on and acts in professional negligence claims which touch upon his other specialist areas, particularly commercial, company and property law. He acts in claims for and against solicitors, accountants, surveyors and financial advisers. He finds his knowledge and experience of property and insolvency issues gives him an advantage in this field and is adept at achieving settlements, whether by wellcalibrated correspondence or by advocacy at ADR (including mediations).
Christopher has several ongoing professional negligence claims against and for solicitors/surveyors brought by individuals and lending institutions in respect of alleged negligent conveyancing/handling of litigation (including leasehold enfranchisement).
Christopher has extensive experience in this area. He has advised on most kinds of property disputes including claims about registration; applications to rectify the register; co-ownership claims; adverse possession actions; disputes about boundaries and easements; mortgage claims, possession claims and claims against mortgagees for sale at an undervalue. He is very experienced in residential and commercial matters including service charge disputes; rent reviews; dilapidations and breach of covenant claims; 1954 Act applications and leasehold enfranchisement matters.
Christopher has experience in trusts; wills and probate (including trustees’ duties and Inheritance Act claims); conflict of laws and equitable claims (both personal and proprietary).
Regular provider of CPD-accredited talks and contributor to Chambers’ newsletters. Past topics have included the role of experts; rent reviews; preferences/transactions at an under-value; guarantees; the Community Infrastructure Levy and claims against financial advisers after Rubenstein.
Contributor to “Pleading in Arbitration: A Practitioner’s Guide” (2nd edition) (Walker QC and Clark) published by Sweet and Maxwell, 2017
Some French, Italian and Russian.
Music; opera; theatre; cricket; chess; travel.
Registered name: Christopher Mann
VAT number: 757158600
