Christopher Langley > Fountain Court Chambers > London, England > Barrister Profile
Fountain Court Chambers Offices
FOUNTAIN COURT, TEMPLE
LONDON
EC4Y 9DH
England
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Christopher Langley
Position
Christopher Langley has a broad commercial practice which covers the full range of commercial, banking, finance (including cryptocurrencies), civil fraud, insurance, aviation, and professional negligence disputes. He has extensive experience of complex and high-value commercial disputes, both as sole counsel and working as part of a larger team.
Notable examples include the claims made by Stanford International Bank Ltd against HSBC in the fallout of a multi-billion dollar ‘Ponzi’ scheme orchestrated by Sir Allen Stanford, which was heard by the Supreme Court (one of The Lawyer’s Top 20 Cases of 2021 and Top 10 Appeals of 2022); the multi-billion-dollar aviation insurance dispute concerning aircraft stranded in Russia and/or Ukraine; and Manek and others v IIFL Wealth (UK) Ltd.
Many of Christopher’s cases involve civil fraud across a wide range of industry sectors. He has particular expertise in matters involving bribery and corruption, and wrote the ‘Bribery in Commercial Litigation and Arbitration’ chapter in Lissack and Horlick on Bribery and Corruption (3rd edition).
Career
Called 2011, Middle Temple.
Publications of note: ‘Bribery in Commercial Litigation and Arbitration’ chapter in Lissack and Horlick on Bribery and Corruption (3rd edition).
Memberships
COMBAR.
Education
BCL at Pembroke College, Oxford (First Class/Distinction); LLB (First Class).
Lawyer Rankings
London Bar > Crypto and blockchain assets
(Leading Juniors)Ranked: Tier 1A ‘go to set’ for cryptocurrency and blockchain assets, Fountain Court Chambers include members who work with leading UK and international financial institutions on the legal aspects of financial technology, digital banking and cryptocurrency. Members of Chambers advise on a full range of existing legislation such as data protection, cybersecurity and anti-money laundering, alongside smart contracts and crypto bridges. Christopher Langley is involved in cryptocurrency disputes, and has acted for leading exchanges and NFT projects on contractual and regulatory matters. Nik Yeo and Simon Atrill KC both have expertise in litigation involving exchanges.
London Bar > Insurance and reinsurance
(Leading Juniors)Ranked: Tier 3London Bar > Fraud: civil
(Leading Juniors)Ranked: Tier 4Christopher Langley – Fountain Court Chambers ‘Very thorough and thoughtful in his advice.‘
London Bar > Banking and finance (including consumer credit)
(Leading Juniors)Ranked: Tier 4Christopher Langley – Fountain Court Chambers ‘Chris is very clear and concise with his advice and is client-friendly. He is always able to spot the difficult issues in advance, which affords you an opportunity to be well-prepared for the road ahead. He is a pleasure to work with.’
Being ‘packed full of some brilliant and incredibly intelligent lawyers,’ Fountain Court Chambers has been at the forefront of some of the recent substantial banking and finance litigation, both domestically and internationally. The set specialises in managing disputes that have a significant impact on the financial sector, with one such example being cases related to the Quincecare duty when banks suspect fraud: these include Federal Republic of Nigeria v JP Morgan Chase NA which saw Rosalind Phelps KC, David Murray and Aaron Taylor instructed in a successful defence of a $1.5bn claim against the bank. Alongside this, Patricia Robertson KC and Christopher Langley were instructed to act for HSBC in defence of a claim in relation to an alleged breach of the Quincecare duty, brought by the liquidators of Allen Stanford’s Ponzi scheme (Stanford International Bank Ltd (in liquidation) v HSBC Plc). Richard Coleman KC has a diverse practice, including acting in a number of cases involving judicial review in the banking space, while Nico Leslie is a standout junior for his work on high-profile banking disputes.