Tom Christie
Associate, Dispute Resolution
Tom is an Associate in the Dispute Resolution team at Rosenblatt, joining in 2022. He cross qualified as a solicitor in 2013 after being called to the Bar in 2009, and has practiced in commercial litigation, with a focus on resolving complex, high value disputes, ever since.
He regularly acts for clients on a broad range of complex commercial disputes including claims arising out of contractual disputes, shareholder disputes, unfair prejudice, insolvency, professional negligence disputes, breach of fiduciary duty, debt actions, misrepresentation, contested probate, and freezing orders. Tom has guided several of these disputes through to trial. In addition, he also acts for clients in disputes involving arbitrations.
Tom has experience of representing large corporate entities, SMEs, Directors, shareholders, and high net worth individuals across a wide range of industry sectors. He aims to resolve disputes commercially and cost effectively whilst achieving his clients’ objectives.
Accolades:
- Legal 500 – Recommended Lawyer 2020
- Legal 500 – Recommended Lawyer 2019
Recent experience:
- Acted for Petitioner and his connected companies in case of Alam & Ors v Alam & Ors [2022] EWHC 2325 (Ch), which resulted in a 42 day trial solely on the preliminary issue of liability, with judgment in the case to be given in 2023. The dispute comprised five interconnected claims involving a very large multi-million pound business empire with significant assets held within a group of companies, involving allegations of unfair prejudice, personal claims between two directors, a derivative action, and a possession claim. The case involved evidence from 28 witnesses (with the assistance of a translator), two mediations, and a detailed forensic analysis of the extensive tax and accounting documents of the entirety of the group.
- Acted on behalf of a leading travel clinic based in UK and Ireland in two separate claims for business interruption against their insurer. The claims had the added complexity of the business switching to covid testing (so historic accounts could not be used to predict profit and loss) and the interruption coming at the height of the first wave of covid. With the UK in ‘lockdown’ at the time of the interruption event both claims were denied. Successfully challenged one refusal, resulting in a significant payment to the business, the second claim is ongoing.
- Successfully resolved a complex £2 million professional negligence claim against client’s former firm of solicitors. After trial, client succeeded and obtained judgment of £1.4 million plus costs. Client recovered 90% of their costs without having to begin assessment proceedings.
- Successfully advised on a multi-million pound cross jurisdictional claim in Guernsey involving undue influence, unconscionable transactions, and breach of fiduciary duty by a Court appointed Deputy.
- Successfully defended a prominent sportsman over allegations involving a breach of, and inducement to breach, contract made by his former club. Resolved after a tripartite mediation. This case was widely reported in national media at the time due to the implications for the sport concerned.
- Acted for client on a two long running interconnected unfair prejudice petitions, dispute lasted eight years with opponent settling ten days before the start of a two week trial. Case involved opponent engaging in satellite litigation, bringing several claims out of jurisdiction in Pakistan, via connected parties. Both disputes successfully resolved in client’s favour.
- Assisted on a complex contested probate dispute against a large UK based charity involving a multi-million pound estate, complicated by the deceased’s unsigned will being dictated to their solicitor but not drafted. Client contended that they were entitled to a sizeable share of the estate by virtue of proprietary estoppel.
- Assisted on the matter of Neocleous v Rees [2019] EWHC 2462 (Ch), which held that automatic electronic signatures amount to a signature for the purposes of S.2 of the Law of Property (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1989.
- Successfully opposed Relief from Sanctions Application in a claim, resulting in opponent’s £250,000 Costs Budget being disallowed in its entirety. Inability to claim future costs was the deciding factor in leading to favourable settlement in favour of client.
- Acted for UK based large online retailer in a claim involving several third parties obstructing access to their largest distribution warehouse by asserting prescriptive rights over the access. Successfully proved claim, following fully contested trial, in which client was awarded costs on an indemnity basis.