Christian
Smith
About
Christian
Christian is the firm’s Head of Dispute Resolution and oversees the commercial litigation department’s busy and varied practice. He has over 20 years’ experience representing individual and corporate clients across a broad range of sectors.
Christian has considerable experience advising and acting in shareholder disputes and insolvency proceedings and is regularly instructed by clients seeking or defending injunctions. His steadfast and hands-on approach in fast-paced, highly contentious litigation brings many of his cases to an early resolution.
Clients value Christian’s ability to get to grips with disputes quickly and find practical solutions to complex problems. He has been recognised as "The steadiest of hands; superb with clients" - Legal 500, 2020.
Christian also enjoys working relationships with many of the UK’s leading insolvency practitioners. He is regularly instructed to consider claims by liquidators against directors, claims of misfeasance, preferences, transactions at an undervalue and breach of director’s duties.
Christian and his team provide a full-service commercial dispute offering; working closely with lawyers from across the firm’s other practice areas to review existing commercial contracts and advise on corporate governance and risk management generally. The team design and implement proficient litigation and enforcement strategies to protect, defend and enforce their client’s interests.
- Acting for petitioners / claimants in a complex, high value unfair prejudice claim relating to a family-owned property company. Established unfairly prejudicial conduct under section 994 Companies Act 2006. Successfully defended a Part 20 Claim relating to funds allegedly received and held on trust following the sale of a Cypriot company.
- Acting for an international sales and services company to pursue claims against a former Finance Director and shareholder relating to breach of directors’ duties.
- Acting for a discharged bankrupt in long-running insolvency proceedings concerning challenges to the conduct of a Trustee in Bankruptcy and Liquidators, the ownership and misuse of confidential information held by third parties, the determination of the scope and operation of s283A Insolvency Act 1986 and the question of a discharged bankrupt’s standing to bring proceedings to set aside transactions entered into by their former TiB.
- Acting for a foreign government and its ministries to defend ICC Arbitration proceedings.
- Acting for defendants subject to worldwide freezing injunctions and commercial court claims.
"The steadiest of hands; superb with clients" - Legal 500
"Has the clients' interests at heart" - Legal 500
"‘Christian Smith has been amazing throughout our dealings with the practice. Not only is he very capable, committed and professional, but also very caring and with excellent people skills" - Legal 500
Firmwide awards
Recent articles by Christian
Pay as you go? Not quite.
Dispute Resolution Partner, Christian Smith, and Solicitor, Charles Goldblatt discuss the costs of interim injunctions with Litigation Futures.
Read nowMastercard vs. the Masses: Christian Smith Comments in Financial Times
A recent ruling has paved the way for a class action being taken against Mastercard.
Read nowChristian Smith and Charles Goldblatt Discuss the Disclosure Pilot Scheme in RealBusiness
With the start of the disclosure pilot scheme, Christian and Charles discuss the details and give their expert opinion.
Read now