Christopher started in practice in a set well-known in the traditional fields of Chancery law, where he was a pupil of Sir John Vinelott. He specialises in trusts (both here and abroad), tax and charity law.
From 1977 until taking Silk in 1987 he acted for the Inland Revenue in Chancery matters and from 1981 until 1987 was Junior Counsel to the Attorney-General in charity matters. His private client work includes advice on the trust aspects of divorce; his charity work has included a wide range of constitutional and practical issues and also the setting up of some notable new charities.
Legal directories rate him in the front rank in the fields of private client work, trusts, and charity. Chambers UK recognises him as a 'Senior Statesperson' in charities, traditional chancery and private client.
In 2015 Christopher was awarded the STEP Private Client Lifetime Achievement Award for "an individual who has, over the course of their lifetime, made contributions of outstanding significance to the field of estate planning." (Contrary to common belief, this is not a posthumous award.)
Christopher was a trustee of the British Museum from 1999 until 2004.
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Expertise
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Commercial Litigation & Arbitration
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Civil Fraud
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Company & Partnership
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Insolvency & Asset Recovery
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Offshore & Trusts
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Charities
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Private Client
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Tax
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Directory Quotes
Legal 500 UK Private Client: Trusts and Probate (2023)
“Christopher’s knowledge, wisdom and approachability set him apart. He is great at thinking around the problem and will use every tool to arrive at the right answer. He is a real treasure-trove of legal knowledge and experience in the private client field.”
Legal 500 UK Private Client: Trusts and Probate (2023)
“Christopher McCall KC is ‘extremely effective at coming up with commercial solutions for highly complicated matters’ and specialises in trust law.”
Chambers UK Charities (2022)
“Christopher McCall is phenomenally experienced. He has been doing work for the Attorney General for a long time." "He is outrageously experienced; he's been doing this stuff since the 60s.”
Chambers UK Chancery: Traditional (2022)
“A real expert on tax and trusts whom everybody would like to emulate.”
Chambers UK Tax: Private Client (2022)
“Incredibly intelligent, superb with clients and such a pleasure to work with.”
Chambers UK Trusts (2022)
“A barrister of high standing who is a veteran performer in the highest courts in the land.”
Legal 500 UK Charities (2022)
“He is a statesman in charity law matters.”
Legal 500 UK Private Client: Trusts and Probate (2022)
“He has an outstanding depth of knowledge on issues of trust law, very often spotting points that others miss and finding consensual resolutions to highly vexed family disputes. His advice tends to be highly practical. Rare amongst lawyers, he is highly numerate and able to assess quite complicated financial issues with acuity.”
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Notable Cases
Christopher McCall KC's notable cases include:
- Derby Teaching Hospitals v Derby CC & Charity Commission (2019)
- Helena Partnership Ltd v Revenue & Customs Commissioners & Attorney-General (2012)
- Commissioner of Taxpayer Audit & Assessment v Cigarette Co of Jamaica Ltd (2012)
- Christopher Southgate & Anor v Peter Sutton & Ors (2011)
- Helena Partnerships Ltd (Formerly Helena Housing Ltd) v Revenue & Customs Commissioners (2011)
- Catholic Care v Charity Commission For England & Wales & Equality & Human Rights Commission (2010)
- Helena Housing Ltd v Revenue & Customs Commissioners (TC00384) (2010)
- Peter Sutton, Michael Coker,Adam Broke (Trustees) v Michael England & 5 ORS (2009)
- Revenue & Customs Commissioners v Trustees of Peter Clay Discretionary Trust (2008)
- Revenue & Customs Commissioners v Trustees of the Peter Clay Discretionary Trust (2007)
- Trustees of the Peter Clay Discretionary Trust v Revenue and Customs Commissioners (SpC 595) (2007)
- Simon Richard Fraser & Nathan George Fraser v Canterbury Diocesan Board Of Finance & Ors (2005
- Attorney-General v Trustees Of The British Museum (2005)
- Graham West & Ors (HMIT) v Stephen Graham Trennery & Ors (2005)
- Koziol v Davies (2004)
- Simon Fraser v Canterbury Diocesan Board of Finance (2004)
- Graham West & Ors (HMIT) v Stephen Graham Trennery & Ors (2003)
- Tang Man Sit v Capacious Investments Ltd (1995)
