Christopher J. McDuff, Esq.

Practice areas

Chris has extensive experience in commercial litigation and alternative dispute resolution, focusing on complex commercial disputes involving contract, negligence, corporate law and in respect of insolvency claims for creditors and liquidators.  Chris has been instructed by various large multi-national clients, State Governments in Australia and several British Government departments.  In insolvency matters, Chris has acted on behalf of liquidators and creditors with a particular emphasis on cross border issues.  Chris has appeared as an Advocate before the Grand Court, and several Australian Supreme Courts as well as several Courts of Appeal.  In 2002 appeared as counsel before the Royal Commission into the building and construction industry.

His experience includes:

• Advising liquidators, creditors, shareholders and directors on insolvency matters and restructuring of distressed entities
• Acting for construction company clients in relation to disputes with sub-contrators and insurers. Successfully defended fraud allegations and quantum meruit claims
• Advising and appearing for developers in relation to planning issues before the Land & Environment Court in NSW and the Cayman Islands Planning Department – Central Planning Authority
• Advising and litigating landlord and tenant matters on behalf of landlords, both retail and commercial

Education and Career

In 1996 Chris graduated in law from the University of Otago, New Zealand and then the College of Law in Sydney.  He then took the Negotiation and Mediation Programme at Harvard Law School in 2006.  He first practiced as a solicitor at Raj Lawyers in Sydney acting for large commercial clients such as the Queensland Investment Corporation and Macquarie Bank in relation to various insolvency matters, before moving to Ward Keller Lawyers in Darwin in 2001 where he developed further his commercial litigation, insolvency and insurance practice.  In 2004 he moved to England to join Nabarro Nathanson in Sheffield and then Mills & Reeve in 2006 in Birmingham, before becoming a Treasury Solicitor in 2007.  He moved to the Cayman Islands to join Myers & Alberga in 2008.

Chris was the first Cayman Islands attorney to become an INSOL Fellow of the International Association of Restructuring, Insolvency & Bankruptcy Professionals.  In 2009, Chris will complete his paper (Construction Law) that will lead to an award of his Masters of Law at the University of Melbourne, Australia.

Admissions

Cayman Islands
England and Wales 
New Zealand 

High Court of Australia 

Supreme Court of New South Wales

Memberships

Cayman Islands Law Society

American Bankruptcy Institute 

American Bar Association
INSOL Fellow of the International Association of Restructuring, Insolvency & Bankruptcy Professionals

Practicing: Litigation