OUR TEAM

Christopher Kinley is both a qualified advocate in the Isle of Man and a solicitor in England and Wales. He specialises in matters involving all aspects of Isle of Man immigration and British nationality work, as well as other private client and trust, company and partnership matters. He has a background in corporate and commercial transactions, particularly those involving ships and aircraft.

Christopher has rights of audience before all courts and tribunals in the Isle of Man, specialising in appeals to the immigration adjudicator and higher court immigration appeals.

Christopher was a founding director of a boutique international law firm in the Isle of Man in 2013. In March 2015, his practice became Kinley Legal. Previously, Christopher worked in the legal and tax advisory team of Maitland, an international legal and wealth services firm with interests in Africa and other emerging markets.

Christopher Kinley originally trained and practised at Gough & Co, a niche Isle of Man law firm, and worked in the specialist asset and project finance team at Cains, a leading Isle of Man law firm, acting exclusively for City law firms and international clients.

Christopher is an Isle of Man notary public, concentrating on the certification of multilingual documents and complex and specialised acts, further supporting the firm’s international focus.

Clients

Christopher now works with clients all over the world, including those from Europe and the Commonwealth, the former Soviet Union and the Far East, as well as maintaining a local client base in the Isle of Man, where his family have lived for generations.

Immigration and nationality work record

Matters on which Christopher has recently advised include:

• complex immigration applications for entrepreneur, work and family immigration permissions;
• successful immigration appeals involving points of law, human rights and decision-making practice;
• securing for a client the first successful letter of endorsement and visa under the Business Migrant (Innovator) route launched in 2020;
• advising the head of an Asian gaming company on his Isle of Man Tier 1 (Investor) applications;
• working with South African families to form a plan for group migration to the Isle of Man, including selecting the optimum route for each family member;
• advising on complex applications combining diverse routes including Innovator, Investor, British Ancestry, Worker and Adult Dependant Relative;
• obtaining Indefinite Leave to Enter for children whose parents are settled in the Isle of Man; and
• British nationality applications involving the application of discretion.

Other experience

In addition to his immigration and nationality work, Christopher has advised upon matters including:

• the construction, financing and disposal of multi-million dollar sailing yachts and commercial vessels;
• supporting fiduciary and professional firms in client matters;
• acting for the owners on the sale of a substantial engineering company in the oil and gas sector;
• providing in-house legal support to an exploration company in the oil and gas sector;
• the establishment, management and closing of trusts, foundations and charities; and
• the listing of shares on international investment exchanges.

Christopher was a co-author of the Isle of Man chapter in International Tax Systems and Planning Techniques (ed. Saunders) published by Sweet & Maxwell.

Qualification

Advocate (Isle of Man) (2006)
Commissioner for Oaths (Isle of Man) (2006)
Solicitor (England and Wales) (2006)
Solicitor (Ireland) (2007)
Notary Public (Isle of Man) (2009)
Solicitor (Northern Ireland) (2015)

Education

Wellington College, Berkshire (1997)
BA Russian (University College London School of Slavonic and East European Studies, 2001)
Postgraduate Diplomas in Law and Legal Practice (The College of Law, London, 2002 and 2003)

Languages

English, Russian (native or bilingual proficiency)
French, Ukrainian (professional proficiency)
other European languages (working knowledge)
Chinese (basic)

Organisations

Isle of Man Law Society
Law Society of England and Wales
Law Society of Ireland
Law Society of Northern Ireland
Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners (TEP, 2007)
Chartered Institute of Linguists (MCIL, 2012; Chartered Linguist, 2016)
Institute of Directors (MIoD, 2014)

Public service

Port St Mary Commissioners (Commissioner, 2010–2017)
Port St Mary Commissioners (Chairman, 2011–2012)
Port St Mary Commissioners (Vice-Chairman, 2012–2013; 2014–2016; 2017)