Christopher Butterworth
Managing Partner & Civil/Commercial Mediator
01423 566666
christopher.butterworth@raworths.co.uk
Background
Born in 1947
Educated: Merchiston Castle School, Edinburgh and College of Law, Guildford
Joined Raworths in 1966
Solicitor: 1971
Fellow of Chartered Institute of Arbitrators
CEDR Solve accredited mediator since 1995
Member of the Court of Appeal Mediation Panel
Member of the Law Society Specialist Civil and Commercial Mediation Panel
Member of the Association of Northern Mediators’ Rural Special Interest Group
Member of the Mediation Panel of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators
Member of the Society for Computers and the Law
Member of Law Management Section of the Law Society
Local Conciliation Officer for the Legal Complaints Service
Former President of the Harrogate & District Law Society
Trustee of trusts and a charity
Christopher is the third generation of his family to have been partners in Raworths. He started his career as a litigator and built up and ran the firm’s contentious team for many years before becoming the full time managing partner of the firm. He was a pioneer in the use of IT in legal practices and for a time also dealt with non-contentious commercial matters. In recent years he has built a national reputation as a highly effective civil/commercial mediator. He comes from a farming family and has been trustee of a charity and family and other trusts.
Legal experience
- Over 30 years experience of developing and running a civil litigation team
- Advocacy in the High Court, before judges in chambers, and in the County, Coroner’s and Magistrates’ Courts
- Defendant personal injury work for the insurers of the British Steel Corporation, national bus operators and textile companies
- Setting up and operating a substantial computerised debt collection operation in the 1980s collecting debts for a number of national companies particularly in the haulage and building supplies industries
- Representing parties accused of murder
- Obtaining emergency injunctions, freezing assets in the High Courts and obtaining return of abducted children.
- Representing disaffected franchisees
- Being a trustee and company director.
Civil/Commercial Mediation experience
- A $65 million IT claim dealt with in San Francisco
- Chairing a dialogue between Jersey and Guernsey over fishing rights
- Numerous high value and high emotion disputes in the fields of :
- Contractual & commercial
- Construction & technical
- IT, Communications, High Tech & I.P.
- Inter-proprietor & partnership
- Trusts, inheritance and family assets
- Agriculture & land rights
- Professional negligence & insurance
- Political and public sector
- For full mediation cv click here (PDF).
Management experience
- Managing partner for over 10 years
- Lead the transformation of Raworths into a modern legal business
- Pioneer and developer of use of IT from early 1970s to date
- Instrumental in the adoption of externally assessed Management and Quality Standards (Lexcel, IiP, CQS, LAFQAS etc)
- Partner in Raworths since mid 1960s
In conversation
Is it true that you have been with Raworths since 1886 ?
Almost! My grandfather was Edwin Raworth’s first partner at the start of the 20th century, my father followed him; between us we have been in the firm for over 100 years.
How has Raworths changed as a firm in say the last 10 years ?
Ten years ago the majority of our work was for private individuals and since then we have built the most comprehensive team acting for businesses in the area; the split of work is now nearer 50:50. Harrogate businesses needed a good firm of local business advisers and they now have us, they don’t need to go to Leeds or other cities.
Where do you think Raworths sits as a provider of legal services in the market ?
We have decided the type of work we don’t do (for example personal injury, criminal work, legal aid) and specialise in the areas providing high value services in our chosen areas of expertise.
What are the most striking changes which you have seen to the law during your career ?
Without a doubt the use of information technology. I was here for some twenty years before the PC started to be used in law firms. When I started typewriters were manual, we used carbon paper to make copies of letters, there was no fax, DX or electronic mail and although we had the first Xerox copier in town it came with a fire extinguisher to put out the regular fires generated inside it!
What is the most interesting mediation you have dealt with ?
It is difficult to single out any particular mediation. However, dealing with a $65 million IT dispute in San Francisco and chairing a dialogue between two governments over fishing rights stand out.
What element of your management of the firm has interested you the most ?
I have always had an interest in IT. I was particularly involved in responding to the IT revolution as it happened and understanding how it could improve the delivery of legal services.
What are your favourite passions outside of the office ?
Sailing, field sports and most recently I have taken up fly fishing, which brings together my love of the countryside and the need for technical competence.
