Christopher Gelber
Chris works in the area of transactional commercial law and compliance for clients in many market sectors.
About Christopher
Chris has worked in a wide variety of industry sectors, both B2B and B2C, for about 30 years. His work has involved advising and acting for clients in financial services, investment banking, sports, FMCG retail, utilities, leisure and holidays, manufacturing and logistics, among others.
Chris’ work intimately involves advising also on a range of regulatory and compliance issues, including data protection, AML and others, and he regards it as crucial to providing effective client advice and representation to get under the hood of client businesses, understand what they are seeking to achieve and what their commercial and operational options are to get to where they want to be.
Experience
- Building a scalable international sourcing operation, including all internal and externally-facing contracts, for a global retail business, and then managing and undertaking business training to roll it out;
- Having been the principal commercial lawyer for a Formula 1 motor racing team for several years. The work included driver and testing contracts, sponsor and supplier arrangements, dealing with the FIA and other regulatory issues, and event and hospitality arrangements, amongst others;
- Managing and growing the commercial legal team for an investment bank for several years. Our stakeholders were the bank’s entire back office and some middle office functions.
Career
Chris has three degrees (all first-class hons) in Philosophy and Law. After gaining his LLM at Cambridge University, Chris qualified in England in 1997 (having already qualified in NSW in 1992) and worked first with a City firm, Macfarlanes, then with a US firm also in the City, then went in-house with Barcap, where he led the commercial legal team for several years. Since 2010, Chris has been a self-employed consultant lawyer, and began working with Wright Hassall in 2024.
Memberships
- Solicitor of the Supreme Court of England and Wales;
- Member of Middle Temple.
Interests
Outside work Chris enjoys the arts, primarily music (he plays guitar), literature, theatre and poetry. He also enjoys working out regularly at a local gym and has a deep interest in philosophy, religion, US constitutional law and US and UK civics and politics.
