Chris is a partner in Reed Smith’s Energy and Natural Resources Group and co-leads our Financial Markets and Regulatory team. With 25 years’ experience of financial regulatory advisory practice, Chris is a recognised expert in futures and options, energy trading, and commodity trading.
Chris is listed in The Legal 500 “Hall of Fame” for Commodities: Derivatives, in recognition of constant praise by clients for continued excellence; was named Star Lawyer in 2019 in the Acritas Star Lawyer database of stand-out lawyers nominated by clients’ senior in-house counsel for their exceptional client service; and is recognised in The Best Lawyers™ in the United Kingdom list. He is routinely rated as a leading individual in The Legal 500, Chambers and Partners, and other directories.
Chambers UK (2022) “Chris Borg has a detailed knowledge of the subject and formidable analysis skills. He inspires trust and he cares about clients.” “He is enthusiastic, responsive and knows his stuff.”
Chambers UK (2021) “Chris stands out as the subject matter expert in this field. He has an unrivalled grasp of the regulations and experience in handling both contentious and non-contentious matters.” “Chris’s strengths are his analysis, breadth and depth of thinking, and client engagement.”
Chambers UK (2019) “His knowledge and skills are very impressive” and he is “very thorough and pragmatic.”
The Legal 500 UK (2019) describes Chris as “excellent” and as someone with “a deep knowledge of commodity derivatives and their regulation, and is truly an expert in his field.”
The Legal 500 UK (2017) describes Chris as an “excellent regulatory lawyer” and “someone upon whom clients can really rely – a very strong hand in the pack.”
Chambers UK (2017) describes Chris as a “very bright, tenacious lawyer who can be relied upon to quickly understand new and complex deals.”
The Legal 500 UK (2016) describes Chris as “always delivers good, strong advice.”
Chambers UK (2016) describes Chris as “phenomenal.”
Chambers UK (2016) “The commodities team at Reed Smith is the most dynamic in the City” and “the number-one firm in commodities.
The Legal 500 UK (2015) describes Chris as having a “depth of knowledge in the commodities regulatory space that is unrivalled by his peers.”
The Legal 500 UK (2015) Reed Smith’s commodity derivatives team is “highly responsive” with “a great understanding of the commercial environment, as well as thorough legal knowledge” and has “a wealth of practical and industry experience on the regulatory side.”
Chambers UK (2014) highlights his “great judgment and practical common sense”, describing him as “a good ‘preventative’ lawyer who spots issues in advance.”
His clients include banks, investment banks, derivatives traders and brokers, specialist commodity traders and brokers, energy majors and utilities, custodians and collateral managers, exchange-traded funds, funds and fund managers, software and market services providers, exchanges/MTFs, and trade associations. Earlier in his career, Chris spent a year on secondment at the then-Financial Services Authority.
Recognitions
Ranked in Chambers UK for UK-wide Commodities: Derivatives & Energy Trading, 2014-2015 and Band 1 2016-2026
Selected through peer review for inclusion in The Best Lawyers™ in the United Kingdom for Commodities, 2009-2025. Chris was also named Lawyer of the Year for Commodities, 2022
- Listed as a “Leading Partner” in The Legal 500 UK 2026 for Finance: Derivatives and Structured Products
Practices
News
- Reed Smith practices and lawyers earn top spots in Chambers UK 2026(16 October 2025)
- The Legal 500 UK endorses scores of Reed Smith lawyers, practices(2 October 2025)
- Reed Smith London excels in Chambers UK 2025 rankings(17 October 2024)
- Reed Smith gets 6 Tier 1 practice rankings in Legal 500 UK(3 October 2024)
- Reed Smith wins 3 tier-1 rankings and 56 individual recognitions in IFLR 1000 global directory(13 September 2024)
- 48 Reed Smith lawyers highlighted in 2025 Best Lawyers® UK guide(20 June 2024)
- Reed Smith recognized in a range of IFLR worldwide rankings(8 November 2023)
- Reed Smith recognised as a leading law firm in Chambers UK(19 October 2023)
- Reed Smith earns seven Tier 1 rankings in strong performance in Legal 500 UK(5 October 2023)
- 42 Reed Smith lawyers named as stand-outs by Thomson Reuters(2 October 2023)
- Over 40 Reed Smith London-based lawyers earn listings in 2024 Best Lawyers® UK guide(8 June 2023)
- Two Reed Smith teams featured in China Business Law Journal's Deals of Year 2022(9 February 2023)
Insights
- European Commission exempts six countries from prior authorisation for gas imports under RePowerEU Regulation(19 February 2026)
- Update to the Commission’s Russian Energy Roadmap(20 June 2025)
- Extension of the EU ETS to shipping: financial regulatory implications for the shipping industry(18 April 2023)
Blogs
- RePowerEU Update: Six Countries Cleared for Simplified Gas Imports(19 February 2026)
- EU LNG and Pipeline Gas Import Ban – Timing under EU Sanctions (Article 3ra) vs RePowerEU(10 February 2026)