Christopher's practice focuses on competition law and EU law, and he also has experience of sports law and general commercial and public law.
Before coming to Matrix in 2009, Christopher served as a Referendaire (Legal Secretary) to the UK Competition Appeal Tribunal (CAT), where he assisted the Tribunal panels in the management and resolution of cases. Whilst at the CAT, he gained unique experience into the competition law enforcement regime in the UK and handled numerous appeals, including Replica Shirts, Toys, West Midlands Roofing, MasterCard, Claymore Dairies, Freeserve, Somerfield, Celesio, Stericycle and London Metal Exchange.
He then became the sole competition practitioner at the law firm Farrer & Co LLP, where he advised clients across the firm. Significant competition law matters on which he advised include the Arqiva/National Grid Wireless merger (acting for Emap Radio - now Bauer Radio - as an interested third party).
Among other competition law matters, Christopher recently acted (with Rhodri Thompson QC) for the applicant in Stagecoach v Competition Commission [2010] CAT 14, in which – for the first time – the CAT found a decision of the CC to be Wednesbury unreasonable. He is currently acting (also with Rhodri Thompson QC) for the Cooperative Group in its appeal to the CAT against the OFT’s Tobacco products infringement decision.
In terms of EU law, Christopher recently appeared (with Rhodri Thompson QC) in the Court of Appeal in R (Chandler) v Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families (challenge on EU public procurement grounds to the procurement of Academies).
Christopher's sports law experience includes acting for sports governing bodies in relation to challenges made to selection decisions for the Beijing Olympics and advising bodies on regulatory issues.
Christopher is convenor of the LLM course in UK Competition Law at Queen Mary University of London. He used to teach EU law at King's College London. He writes and lectures frequently on all aspects of competition and general EU law and was recently appointed joint UK rapporteur for the forthcoming Biennial Congress of the Fédération Internationale de Droit Européen (FIDE) in November 2010, reporting on "The Judicial Application of EC Competition Rules".