Christopher McCrudden

Professor Christopher McCrudden's practice covers Public Law and Human Rights; Discrimination and Equality; Public Procurement and Employment. He joined Blackstone Chambers as a full member in July 2009 on completion of his pupillage.

Professor Christopher McCrudden’s authority as an academic commentator is reflected in citations to his work in the judgments of courts in this country, the European Court of Justice, and the United States Supreme Court. He has been awarded the Certificate of Merit by the American Society of International Law. He is a Fellow of the British Academy.

The scope of his advice includes equality and human rights law, but he also advises on the relationship between international economic law and human rights, and on EC public procurement law.

Christopher will combine practice with a distinguished academic career (he is currently Professor of Human Rights and Equality Law at Queen’s University Belfast and a Fellow of the British Academy). He is a former Professor of Human Rights Law at the University of Oxford. In 2013-14, he was the Straus Fellow at New York University Law School. In 2014-15, he was a Fellow of the Wissenschaftskolleg in Berlin.

He had experience as a pupil in a range of courts and tribunals, including the High Court, the Court of Appeal and the House of Lords.

Experience

Shortlist

Public & Regulatory

Christopher has published widely in the areas of public law and regulation, equality and discrimination, human rights, EC law, and international economic law.

Cases

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Ladele v United Kingdom[2013] IRLR 231 (European Court of Human Rights)
Acting (with Dinah Rose QC and Ben Jaffey) for marriage registrar who refused to conduct civil partnerships on grounds of religious belief.
Northern Rock[2009] EWHC 227 (Admin)
As a pupil Christopher assisted Tom de la Mare in Northern Rock challenging the compensation rules applying to shareholders, and the requirements of Article 1, Protocol 1 ECHR.
R (Cohn) v BBC(Court of Appeal)
Acting (with Javan Herberg QC) for BBC on a judicial review of a decision to cancel Jewish Hour on BBC Radio Manchester.

Shortlist

Discrimination

Christopher has published widely in the areas of public law and regulation, equality and discrimination, human rights, EC law, and international economic law.

Cases

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R (E) v JFS[2009] EWCA Civ 626
Christopher (as a pupil) assisted Ben Jaffey and David Pannick QC in R (E) v JFS in the race discrimination challenge to the admissions criteria for the Jews’ Free School.
R (E) v JFS[2010] 2 WLR 153
Acted for the JFS school (led by Lord Pannick QC) in Supreme Court race discrimination challenge to the admissions criteria for the Jews’ Free School.

Shortlist

Employment

Christopher has published widely in the areas of public law and regulation, equality and discrimination, human rights, EC law, and international economic law.

Cases

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Jivraj v Hashwani[2011] UKSC 40
Acted for the London Court of International Arbitration (led by Laurence Rabinowitz QC and Christopher Style QC) in Supreme Court challenge to the appointment of arbitrators in international commercial arbitration.
Seldon v Clarkson Wright and Jakes[2010] EWCA Civ 899 (CA)
As a pupil Chris assisted Tom Croxford in the Court of Appeal’s consideration of the ambit of EU age discrimination law.

Shortlist

Procurement

Christopher has been instructed by public bodies and public interest groups in relation to the use of public procurement for employment and other social policy purposes, and on issues relating to the consequences of findings of bribery for public procurement contracting. He has also advised on the requirements of EC and WTO procurement law. Many of these cases are confidential and cannot be referred to here. His most recent book, Buying Social Justice (OUP, 2007), was awarded the Certificate of Merit by the American Society of International Law in 2008, and was shortlisted for the Inner Temple Book Prize in 2008.

Achievements

Education

LLB (QUB); LLM (Yale) (Harkness Fellow); DPhil (Oxon); LLD (Hon., QUB)

Appointments

Christopher has gained extensive practical experience through his membership (at various times) of the Standing Advisory on Human Rights, the European Commission’s Expert Network on the Application of Equality Directives, and the Northern Ireland Procurement Board. He has also acted as a Specialist Advisor to the House of Commons Northern Ireland Affairs Select Committee.

Memberships

He is an accredited Free Representation Unit representative, a member of ALBA, and a member of the American Bar Association.

News

VAT registration number: 102175561

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Christopher McCrudden