Chris Caulfield is a partner in Squire Sanders Litigation and International Dispute Resolution Practice Groups based in our Leeds and London offices. His expertise covers UK and international commercial and corporate disputes.

Chris has experience in a wide range of high-value contentious work and has been praised for his forthright approach and dedication to his clients. He has experience in the field of mediation and is a Centre for Effective Dispute Resolution (CEDR) accredited mediator. Chris also leads the Squire Sanders export control practice in the UK.  Chris won the Rising Star Award at the 2008 Yorkshire Lawyer Awards.

Chris is part of the Squire Sanders team (PDF) advising clients under investigation by the Turks and Caicos Special Investigation and Prosecution Team.

Representative Experience

 

Shareholder and Partnership Disputes

• Acting for an international law firm in a multimillion-pound dispute with a number of its former partners.
• Acting for the minority shareholders in a high-value, high-profile claim for unfair prejudice.
• Advising on the recovery of several million pounds for an unfairly prejudiced minority shareholder.
• Representing a major shareholder in agent provocateur regarding sale proceedings.

Oil and Gas

• Acting in an arbitration in the London Court of International Arbitration (LCIA) relating to the ownership of an oil and gas business with assets of approximately US$3 billion including the coordination of a multijurisdictional team of 25 individuals.
• Acting in a dispute relating to the provision of corrosion protection services on a North Sea oil rig.
• Representing an engineering business regarding the supply of complex machinery for laying subocean pipelines.
• Advising a plastics company regarding subocean pipelines.

Banking and Finance

• Acting for an international engineering business on the injuncting of a bank guarantee.
• Representing a Spain-based bank on a number of high-value disputes arising out of a €400 million securitisation.
• Advising the UK subsidiary of a major construction company on the potential effects of Iranian sanctions on bank guarantees totaling more than £50 million.
• Advising a leading stockbroker on the enforceability of personal guarantees and contractual provisions relating to multimillion-pound liabilities on share trading accounts.
• Advising a Switzerland-based hedge fund on complex claims to trust assets and client money with a total value of more than £55 million in the Lehman Brothers administration including filing protective claims to secure a fall-back position for the fund as an unsecured creditor.
• Advising the Italy arm of a global insurer in relation to claims valued at €125 million arising out of the collapse of a Lehman Brothers securitisation structure.

Professional Negligence

• Advising in respect of a claim for circa €150m relating to the negligent preparation of a financial model for an infrastructure project.
• Recovery of £1 million in a professional negligence claim against auditors and legal advisors.
• Advising an international law firm in relation to a claim against its auditors.
• Acting for a UK Plc in defence of a multimillion-dollar class action brought in the United States.

Guarantee and Warrantee Claims

• Acting for a France-based company on a €20 million warranty claim.
• Acting for a UK-based company in a high value tax warranty claim.
• Acting for a UK-listed property company in defence of a claim in UK court relating to a guarantee given in respect of a joint venture in the Bahamas.
• Acting for a leading national supplier of double glazing in defence of a £1.5 million claim under a guarantee.

Other Commercial Litigation

• Representing one of the world’s largest consultancy businesses against a global law firm in relation to a “pay when paid” clause.
• Advising a Norwegian business on terminating a UK distribution relationship.
• Advising a US-based communications company on terminating a major consultancy contract with a business in the UK.
• Representing a UK-based research and development business on claims under a multimillion-pound contract with an Ireland-based supplier.
• Acting for one of the world’s largest printing press manufacturers on the supply of a printing press to New Zealand including a successful challenge to the jurisdiction of the New Zealand courts.
• Acting for a representative beneficiary in one of the largest pension cases to come before the courts in 2009. (Walker Morris Trustees Ltd v Andrew Robert Masterson and Sally Anne Lodge [2009] EWHC 1955 (Ch))

Export Control

• Advising the UK subsidiary of a global engineering business on exporting goods and technology to Iran for building petrochemical plants.
• Advising the UK subsidiary of one of the world's largest engine manufacturers on European and worldwide controlled exports.
• Advising the UK subsidiary of one of the world's largest battery manufacturers on worldwide controlled exports.
• Advising the UK subsidiary of a Nasdaq-listed electrical equipment manufacturer on controlled exports and an audit by the UK Export Control Office.
• Acting for a global industrial business on an audit by the UK Export Control Office and the rollout of a pan-European export control system.
• Advising an optics company on the export of sniper sights.
• Working with the UK industry Export Group for Aerospace and Defence (EGAD) on providing seminars and hosting events on export control.
• Presentation to the Ministry of Defence and BIS in relation to the scope, usage and risk of the UK/US Defence Trade Cooperation Treaty.