Chris Ritchie is a partner in the Litigation and Dispute Resolution Group in the Arthur Cox Belfast Office in Northern Ireland.

Chris has represented insurers and large corporates in Northern Ireland over many years, building up a reputation for sound commercial advice on technical matters but always with the overall goal of problem resolution in mind. His opponents have identified him as an amiable but strategic practitioner and “a conscientious but unshowy lawyer who gets on with the job”. 

Chris qualified as a solicitor in 1995. He spent 15 years at a global insurance firm before joining Arthur Cox in 2012 and has vast experience of dispute resolution in a number of legal sectors. His practice in the defence insurance sphere includes Professional Indemnity, Health and Safety and Product Liability but Chris has also acted successfully for corporate and institutional clients (including governmental) in the bringing of claims as well as in defence. In 2024, he acted for a local government authority in relation to a judicial review, heard at the UK Supreme Court in London and even more recently achieved a £multi-million settlement for a local government agency against its design hub consultants and the main contractor. Chris also advises companies in relation to regulatory investigations including at the behest of HSENI, NIEA and in relation to competition law.

In addition to expertise in the fields of public procurement and judicial review, Chris also advises a number of media companies (and their insurers) in relation to defamation and reputation management.

Relevant Experience

• Advising medical device manufacturers on handling of claims in Northern Ireland, often co-ordinating with global defence strategies
• Defending multi-faceted public procurement action on behalf of conglomeration of local Councils (listed for trial in June 2025)
• Legal adviser to the Royal Society of Ulster Architects (RSUA) and to NHBC
• Trusted by household name Insurers in £multi-million commercial disputes
• Successful defence at trial of highly contested professional indemnity action against accountancy firm (claimant withdrew claim in November 2024 after punishing cross-examination)
• Successfully guided one of UK’s largest coffee retail companies through complex HSE investigation, ultimately resulting in no prosecution brought
• Defended Biomet in Northern Ireland in relation to metal-on-metal hip litigation
• Acts for number of newspaper/media companies (and their insurers) in respect of media/defamation claims
• Successfully acted in £multi-million claim for local government agency versus architect/contractor
• Legal Counsel to Local Government Deputy Commissioner for Standards and to the Planning Appeals Commission