Christopher Coltart KC

Christopher Coltart KC’s background was originally in commercial property litigation. During that time, he had an extensive portfolio of cases, representing banks, pension funds and other financial institutions in high-value claims.

For the last 25 years, he has specialised in business crime, professional disciplinary cases and sports law. He is recommended by the legal directories in relation to all of these practice areas.

Christopher is head of the Business Crime team at 2 Hare Court and is considered one of the leaders at the Bar in this field. Typically, he represents companies and senior executives accused of financial wrongdoing (eg. by the SFO or the FCA). The cases are invariably complex and cover a wide range of alleged offending, including: bank fraud, false accounting, market abuse, Companies Act offences, tax evasion, corruption, bribery, money laundering, data protection breaches and Ponzi schemes. He has been involved in some of the most high profile cases in recent years (for details, click here).

Christopher’s professional disciplinary practice has involved him acting for and against the primary regulators, including: the General Medical Council, the Medicines & Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency, the Solicitors Regulation Authority, the Security Industry Authority and the Takeover Panel. He has particular experience of representing accountants before the Financial Reporting Council and has been instructed in cases involving (amongst others) Tesco, Sports Direct, Serco and Carillion.

In relation to sports law, Christopher is appointed as an arbitrator with Sport Resolutions. He has acted for The Football Association in some of the most significant disciplinary cases it has brought (eg against Joey Barton and Daniel Sturridge). Last year, he sat on an MCC disciplinary panel arising out of events in the pavilion at Lord’s during the 2023 Ashes Test Match (the ‘Jonny Bairstow incident’).

Christopher also has significant experience of major inquest work. His instructions include representing clients in the 7/7 London bombing inquest and the inquest into the Hillsborough tragedy.

Finally, Christopher also had a significant prosecution practice as a junior and was on the ‘A’ Panel of selected advocates for the SFO. He now undertakes private prosecution work and is a member of the 2 Hare Court dedicated private prosecution team. Recently, he has prosecuted a significant fraud on behalf of a UK based hedge fund and separately advised a major airline in relation to a possible private prosecution. He is presently defending in a private prosecution arising out of a contested will. He is one of only a handful of silks recommended for this area of work in Chambers UK.

Christopher accepts Direct Access instructions.

What others say:

“He knows everything about everything and is a brilliant prosecutor.” and “He is fabulously persuasive: he has a calmness and reasonableness that gives his advocacy persuasive force.” Chambers UK 2024 (Financial Crime)

“A very persuasive advocate who has the measure of the courtroom. He is incredibly thorough in terms of his preparation and detailed in his written submissions, which have been material in changing the course of the case.” and “Extremely knowledgeable, approachable, and incredibly down to earth. He runs a case effectively and ensures everyone on the case really grasps it, and he gets into the nitty-gritty. He gets to the heart of the issues and his manner with the client is second to none. Robust and extremely humane.” and “Single-handedly wins my cases. Thorough and always available, Christopher is a real go-to.” – Chambers UK 2024 (Professional Discipline)

“A silk with great tactical acumen.” – Legal 500 UK 2024 (Professional Discipline)

“Christopher is a go-to barrister for complex factual cases or anything with a technological dimension. He is extremely quick to master matters of the utmost complexity.” – Chambers UK 2023

“Chris is one of the few lawyers at the Bar able to straddle the corporate, regulatory, civil and criminal aspects of a case. He is extremely bright, pragmatic, commercial, technical and thorough. He is a delight to work with.” – Legal 500 UK 2024 (Financial Crime)

“He is technically brilliant, works extremely well in a team, has a great manner with clients and is excellent on his feet.” and “He is unbelievably good.” – Chambers UK 2022

“Chris is extremely easy to work with. He works hand in glove with his solicitors, is very approachable and a joy to work with. His attention to detail is unrivalled and his preparation for trial is exemplary. He cuts through the complexity of cases and can identify potentially winning points in even the most difficult cases.” – Legal 500 UK 2022

“Dogged, determined, on top of detail, committed and hard working.” – Legal 500 UK 2022

“An exceptional regulatory defence lawyer who is commercial and proactive; outstanding case preparation.” – Legal 500 UK 2022

“A phenomenal advocate who can get to grips with the technical facts quickly and with great ease.” – Chambers UK 2021

“He is really good – methodical, calm and fantastic in court.” – Chambers UK 2021

“An engaging advocate with a devastating eye for detail. His approach to cases is to leave no stone unturned and he carries the confidence of clients from the very first meeting. A man you would definitely want in your corner.” – Legal 500 UK 2021

“A formidable barrister at ease in the commercial world and great with clients.” and “Strong in disciplinary matters.” – Legal 500 UK 2021

“A superb intellect who gets results.” – Chambers UK 2019

“A high-quality silk who has great client handling skills.” – Legal 500 2020

“A very good lawyer and highly regarded. He is very popular among City executive clients.” – Chambers UK 2020

“A criminal silk of the highest order who is meticulous in preparation.” – Chambers UK 2019

“Fiendishly bright with a calm and considered manner. He is able to absorb substantial information and give clear, concise advice.” – Chambers UK 2018

“One of the best silks out there for financial crime. He has a City background and is a very calm advocate. Judges think he is fantastic, and his written work is excellent” – Chambers UK 2018

“He is terrific, because he’s very calm and, having worked in the City, he has a good grasp of the system. He’s very responsive, extremely clever and easy to work with.” – Chambers UK 2017

“His forensic approach to defence preparation puts him ahead of his peers.” – Legal 500 2017

“A masterful drafter who is very approachable.” – Chambers UK 2016

“He is incredibly organised and accessible. He is very engaged throughout the process, good with clients and trusted by everyone.” – Chambers UK 2015

“A cerebral and talented advocate.” – Legal 500 2015

“His advocacy and drafting are fantastic and he instils complete confidence in any client.” – Chambers UK 2014

“He has an impressive track record of handling white-collar and fraud defence work. Solicitors admire his flawless preparation and ability to handle sensitive cases.” – Chambers UK 2014

“One of the ablest barristers in practice.” – Legal 500 2013

“Very thorough and approachable…excellent in terms of his ability.” – Chambers UK 2012

“Highly intelligent, clear, calm and able.” – Legal 500 2011

“One of the brightest barristers at the criminal Bar.” – Legal 500 2010