Robert Christie

Robert is a Jersey Advocate, and English and BVI barrister, specialising in trusts, company, commercial and insolvency litigation.

Robert has extensive experience of acting for and advising clients in high-value commercial matters in particular involving breach of trust claims, directors’ breach of duty claims, trust disclosure and other administrative proceedings in relation to trusts, enforcement of foreign orders in relation to trusts, actions to remove trustees and protectors, unfair prejudice claims, freezing injunctions and insolvency procedures. He has acted for beneficiaries, shareholders and other individuals in disputes with larger institutions such as trust companies, banks and other lenders. He is experienced in obtaining litigation funding where necessary for impecunious clients. Robert also acts for some major trust companies, and advises trustees and directors on their duties, including in insolvency situations.

Robert is a graduate of Oxford University and was called to the English bar in 2006, practising at Radcliffe Chambers in Lincoln’s Inn. Between 2012 and 2015 he worked for a major offshore law firm in BVI. Robert has advised on a broad range of trust, company, commercial, fraud and asset-tracing and insolvency matters and appeared regularly in interim applications, trials and appeals in the County Court, High Court, English Court of Appeal, BVI Commercial Court and Eastern Caribbean Court of Appeal. Robert’s Caribbean experience means that he is regularly instructed in international litigation which involves a number of offshore centres.

Robert moved to Jersey in 2015 and worked for a Jersey Law firm where he became a partner in January 2019. He joined Bedell Cristin as a partner in December 2020.

In November 2020 Robert was named IFC Partner of the Year at the Citywealth Future Leaders Awards in recognition of the results achieved for his clients over the previous few years.

Professional

• Advocate – Jersey
• Barrister – British Virgin Islands 
• English Barrister (non-practising)
• Member of Association of Restructuring and Insolvency Experts (ARIES)
• Member of the Middle Temple
• Overseas member of the Chancery Bar Association
• Honorary member of Radcliffe Chambers

Credentials

• 'Next Generation Partners' - Legal 500 UK 2023, 2022, 2020
• 'Band 3' - Chambers UK and Global 2023
• 'Up and Coming' - Chambers UK and Global 2022
• Private Client Global Elite - 2023, 2022
• 'One to Watch' - Private Client Global Elite – 2021, 2019, 2018 and 2017
• 'IFC Partner of the Year' at the Citywealth Future Leaders Awards 2020
• Citywealth Future Leaders Top 100, 2020

Recent work highlights include:

• Acting as an expert witness for the Family Court of Australia on both Jersey and BVI law, in relation to the potential enforcement of Australian matrimonial orders against a trustee in Jersey and/or BVI
• Successfully obtaining an ex parte trust derivative order in Jersey, permitting beneficiaries of a trust to bring proceedings in BVI in lieu of the trustee, including to obtain an ex parte BVI freezing injunction
• Successfully obtaining the first order made by the Royal Court for the appointment of additional liquidators, in circumstances where the creditor-appointed liquidators were conflicted
• Acting for an alleged beneficiary of a trust in a breach of trust claim based on sham allegations
• Acting for the Plaintiff in a major unfair prejudice claim based on exclusion from participation, and dilution and confiscation of the Plaintiff's shareholding
• Successfully persuading the Royal Court to direct a trustee to resign and appoint a new trustee, where it was conflicted in its role as trustee of two connected family trusts