Band 4
Band 5
About
Provided by Christopher Yates
Practice Areas
Chris Yates is a dual qualified (England & Wales and Hong Kong) commercial litigation partner. Chris has a broad adversarial practice, with experience in cross-border commercial and corporate litigation, international arbitration, cross-jurisdictional enforcement proceedings and multi-jurisdiction regulatory investigations involving US, UK and APAC regulators.
Chris' client base consists of investment banks, multi-national corporations, private equity firms, sovereign wealth funds and individuals. He advises on the full range of commercial disputes, including joint ventures, shareholder litigation (class actions and securities fraud) and portfolio and investment disputes. Chris co-leads the class action litigation group in London, specialising in corporate defence.
Chris leads the firm's Sport and Entertainment sector practice in London, which focuses on representing investors and individuals involved in the sector. Alongside acting on disputes and regulatory issues, Chris works closely with his transactional colleagues in both London and abroad to service the firm's global clients investing in the sector.
Career
King's College London (LL.B) 2000
King's College London (PGCert) 2002
Admitted as a solicitor in England & Wales 2004
Joined Clifford Chance 2010
Admitted as a solicitor in Hong Kong 2011
Partner since 2016
Chambers Review
UK
Christopher Yates has experience advising clients across a broad array of disputes, including those related to contested joint ventures and SPAs. He is particularly noted for his work for clients in the sports sector.
Christopher Yates is a sports lawyer with a strong contentious practice that covers the full gamut of commercial and regulatory disputes in the sector. He regularly advises sports clubs and event organisers in relation to sponsorship, broadcasting and branding disputes.
Strengths
Provided by Chambers
"Chris is a studious and focused practitioner."
"He's charm personified."
"He is a subject matter expert which gives clients confidence in his answers."
"Chris is an exemplary partner to our organisation and adds real value to our team."
"Christopher Yates is excellent - he is very easy to work with, has great tactical sense and is great with clients."
"A very impressive operator. He is tactically astute and has a very sharp legal mind."
"Chris is a studious and focused practitioner."
"He's charm personified."
"He is a subject matter expert which gives clients confidence in his answers."
"Chris is an exemplary partner to our organisation and adds real value to our team."
"Christopher Yates is excellent - he is very easy to work with, has great tactical sense and is great with clients."
"A very impressive operator. He is tactically astute and has a very sharp legal mind."