Biography

Chris advises across the full spectrum of complex commercial disputes (including disputes before the English courts and under the rules of major international arbitral institutions), principally arising out of breaches of contract, fraud, shareholder/partnership issues and tax matters.
Chris has successfully represented clients across a wide range of industry sectors, but is particularly experienced at advising in relation to contested claims and financial disputes arising in the context of complex cross-border insolvencies and restructurings. He also frequently advises private equity investors and their portfolio companies in relation to contentious issues.
In addition to advising in connection with ongoing proceedings, Chris often advises clients in relation to pre-dispute strategy. He regularly acts for clients engaged in alternative methods of dispute resolution, including mediation and complex settlement discussions, and also advises in relation to internal and regulatory investigations.
Chris advises in relation to cross-border trade regulation and sanctions issues, especially in a transactional context, and previously spent time working in the sanctions compliance team of a major bank.
Representative matters include acting for:
- The joint official liquidators of ABRAAJ Investment Management Limited in connection with claims arising in the liquidation of the Abraaj Group
- Littlewoods, in its £1.25 billion claim in respect of compound interest on overpaid tax before the High Court, Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court
- The Special Administrators of MF Global UK Limited in connection with a number of disputes arising out of the special administration of MFGUK
- Lehman Brothers Special Financing Inc in multimillion dollar Financial List proceedings against PSALM (a Phillipine state-owned entity) concerning the Close-out provisions of the 2002 ISDA Master Agreement
- Ingenious Media in a £1bn+ appeal against amendments made by HMRC to the tax returns of a number of film production partnerships
- Petropavlovsk Plc, on a variety of contentious matters
- Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc and various of its subsidiaries in connection with the unwinding of their structured finance, structured product and derivatives portfolio, including a number of disputes before the English, New York and Cayman Islands courts and LCIA arbitration proceedings in London
- A private equity firm in connection with a High Court dispute concerning the allocation of profit and ownership interests between certain of its founding partners
- A Turkish entrepreneur as claimant in an ICC arbitration in London relating to disputes arising under a non-compete agreement, worth in excess of US$300 million
- A global hospitality company in relation to various disputes arising out of development projects in Europe and Central Asia
Awards and Recognition, Speaking Engagements, Guides and Resources, Firm News & Announcements, Latest Thinking
Firm News & Announcements
- Weil Advises on Ideal Standard Exchange Offer Deal Brief — September 15, 2023
- Weil Advises Advent International on the Sale of Tag to Dentsu Deal Brief — March 08, 2023
Latest Thinking
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Will Bespoke Orders for “Massive Overdisclosure” Become a New Regime in English Litigation?
Blog Post — European Disputes Blog
— By
Jamie Maples,
Christopher Marks and
Matthew Gibbon
— November 25, 2022
In a recent judgment handed down in Genius Sports Technologies Ltd and others v Soft Construct (Malta) Ltd and others [2022] EWHC 2637 (Ch), Mr Justice Marcus Smith concluded that a radical departure from the “standard” disclosure process was needed in this competition claim. Motivated by concerns that relevant documents would be missed through standard ...
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Lifting the Lid on Embargoed Judgments
Blog Post — European Disputes Blog
— By
Christopher Marks,
Frankie Cowl and
Zoë Wedderburn-Day
— July 01, 2022
In cases where the English civil courts choose to reserve judgment, typically parties and their legal representatives are given a confidential preview of the result shortly before formal hand down. This process enables the parties and their counsel to make suggestions that correct drafting errors and to begin preparing submissions on any consequential matters. Naturally, ...
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US/UK/EU financial sanctions in response to the situation in Ukraine
Blog Post — European Disputes Blog
— By
Christopher Marks,
Hayley Lund,
Britta Grauke,
Marc Lordonnois,
Timothy C. Welch,
Gero Pogrzeba,
Rosalind Meehan and
Zoë Wedderburn-Day
— March 04, 2022
INTRODUCTION This note provides an overview of the financial sanctions introduced by the United States government, the UK government and the European Union in response to the invasion of Ukraine by Russia as of 3 March 2022. Given that this is an evolving situation, the sanctions landscape remains fluid and will continue to change considerably ...
- COVID-19 Roundup: Impact on Civil Procedure in England Alert — By Jamie Maples, Hayley Lund, Christopher Marks and Frankie Cowl — PDF — March 2020
- Coronavirus (COVID-19): Key Considerations and Implications for English-Law Governed Contracts Alert — By Jamie Maples, Hayley Lund, Christopher Marks and Frankie Cowl — PDF — March 2020