Christopher Acton Partner

Chris advises hedge funds, managed account platforms and proprietary trading houses, on prime brokerage, derivatives and derivative regulation in Europe. He acts for the buy-side only.

Chris' clients cover a broad range of strategies including equities, equity long/short, special opportunities and distressed debt, global macro, commodity trading advisors, emerging markets and fixed income.

He advises on all aspects of his client's counterparty trading relationships including prime brokerage, custody, repo, securities lending, margin foreign matters, FX PB and intermediation, exchange traded and OTC derivatives and central clearing generally.

His practice also covers debt and claims trading having advised clients on the diligence, structuring and negotiation of numerous debt trade transactions and on a number of master confirmations arrangements for loan or trade claims total return swap transactions.

Chris' clients are primarily based in London, Europe and Hong Kong and he has developed close ties with local counsel who are able to provide local regulatory advice and market colour.

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"Christopher Acton is supremely commercial. His client base includes the top hedge funds and trading firms, giving him great insights into the kinds of commercial terms that can be negotiated. One of the few lawyers in this space who truly gets what clients actually want out of a negotiation."

The UK Legal 500 2025

"Chris Acton is highly commercial, practical and makes sure to tailor advice to the requirements of the particular transaction or situation."

The UK Legal 500 2025

"Chris Acton is particularly good at the commercial points that really matter. He is able to break down legal documentation and condense the key points that are important so we spend the time on those points and don’t waste time on less valuable points. He is very pragmatic and commercial."

The UK Legal 500 2023

"Chris Acton – very responsive and client focussed."

The UK Legal 500 2023

"Christopher Acton is on top of the legal detail but immensely practical and pragmatic. He understands what we want done and how to do it."

The UK Legal 500 2022

"Christopher Acton has a remarkable ability to identify and focus on the issues most relevant for a particular client, to explain even complex issues to less experienced clients and to provide the clients with a big picture overview of the likely outcome of negotiations."

The UK Legal 500 2021