Christopher Sharp KC > Chambers of Matthew White > Bristol, England > Barrister Profile
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St John's Chambers
101 VICTORIA STREET
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Christopher Sharp KC
Work Department
Family & Divorce, Clinical Negligence, Personal Injury, Court of Protection, Professional Negligence
Career
Called 1975; KC 1999; recorder 2004, authorised to hear financial remedy cases 2018; deputy High Court judge (Family) 2011
One of the leading personal injury Silks, Christopher’s practice encompasses both claimant and defendant work, and he is instructed in all areas of personal injury and clinical negligence. His work is focused on catastrophic brain and spinal injuries, complex medical causation issues, and procedural matters at appellate level. He has extensive experience in the Court of Appeal as well as having conducted cases before the House of Lords. He is listed in Chambers UK as ‘excelling in catastrophic injury and complex medical causation issues’ and in Legal 500 as ‘an excellent trial advocate with a mind for detail.’
Christopher has extensive experience in high-value financial remedy, ToLATA and Schedule 1 cases, including those with a foreign element, many of which are dealt with by way of negotiated settlements. In children cases he is instructed by local authorities and parents, as well as the Guardian and Official Solicitor, in cases involving the serious injury or death of a child, in which issues involving complex medical evidence arise and where his expertise in the field of personal injury can also be applied. Issues of privacy and publicity frequently arise. His experience in personal injury work also translates to cases involving catastrophic injury to one partner where, in subsequent divorce proceedings, financial complexities surround the damages awarded and the particular needs of the injured party including those lacking mental capacity. He regularly appears in the appellate courts. He is described in Legal 500 as having ‘a penetrating intellect and an ability to analyse and dissect the most complex issues quickly and comprehensively’ and ‘thorough, tenacious, precise and measured.’
Christopher believes a team approach produces the most effective litigation and is described as being ‘clear in his communications at all times’ and ‘helpful and always on hand’.
Academic
A Visiting Fellow at the University of the West of England, Christopher gives occasional seminars and also lectures to other lawyers. He writes occasional articles for legal publications.
Memberships
- Family Law Bar Association (Founder Chairman of Bristol branch)
- Personal Injury Bar Association
- Professional Negligence Bar Association
Education
University of Oxford (MA).
Leisure
Real tennis, skiing, sailing, theatre and former Trustee of the Quartet Community Foundation.
Lawyer Rankings
Regional Bar > Western Circuit > Personal injury
(Leading Silks)Ranked: Tier 1Christopher Sharp KC – St John’s Chambers ‘Christopher has a colossal intellect, which, coupled with a huge capacity for hard work, attention to detail and an acute awareness of potential pitfalls, ensures that cases are thoroughly prepared and brilliantly presented, both on paper and in court.’
St John’s Chambers is ‘an impressive set with a number of high-quality barristers’, praised by some as ‘the strongest set in the South West for claimant personal injury litigation’. Christopher Sharp KC handles medically and legally complex claims, often involving catastrophic brain and spinal injuries, for both claimants and defendants, while Andrew McLaughlin, a ‘tenacious advocate with vast experience’, represents insurers in high-value, multi-track claims. In Jenkinson v Robertson, Matthew White, ‘a master of fine detail’, represented a claimant in his appeal against an initial finding that he had been fundamentally dishonest in his claim following a road traffic accident. Jimmy Barber, ‘excellent at getting to the important issues in a case‘, specialises in claims involving accidents abroad, hearing loss, asthma, freezing injuries, and chronic pain, as well as in cases with complicating procedural issues.
Regional Bar > Western Circuit > Family: divorce and financial remedy
(Leading Silks)Ranked: Tier 1St John’s Chambers is a strong set for divorce and financial remedy work, with several barristers, including a KC, well-known across the Western Circuit for acting in high-value and technically complex cases. Zoe Saunders, specialising in cases involving farms and farming businesses, multiple properties, trusts of land, complex pensions schemes, and insolvency, heads the team. Christopher Sharp KC has considerable experience in high-net-worth cases, while Bethany Scarsbrook’s practice includes cases involving allegations of non-disclosure as well as complex multi-jurisdictional asset structures. Andrew Commins has left the profession.
Regional Bar > Western Circuit > Family: children and domestic violence
(Leading Silks)Ranked: Tier 1Christopher Sharp KC – St John’s Chambers ‘Christopher is a legend. An elegantly persuasive silk.’
St John’s Chambers is one of the leading sets on the Western Circuit for public and private child law work. Christopher Sharp KC is instructed by parents, local authorities, and guardians in child protection cases involving catastrophic or fatal injuries. Abigail Bond, specialising in care proceedings involving learning disabled parents, heads the practice group in chambers.