Chris Farris

Chris Farris is a Partner specializing in government contracts, compliance, risk reduction, and complex transactions.  Mr. Farris also has significant experience managing legal teams and was rated in the top 1% of all managers world-wide at Sun Microsystems.  His experience includes devising compliance programs, conducting investigations, advising and drafting processes and procedures around compliance and negotiations, and advising on and negotiating complex sales and licensing transactions.

REPRESENTATIVE EXPERIENCE

• Extensive work on Government Contracts compliance issues, including revolving door, procurement integrity, gifts & gratuities, OCIs and PCIs.
• Created a new contracting structure for a large (Fortune 150) Silicon Valley company (changing from a template-based model to a web-based Wiki model).
• Led investigation into alleged wrongdoing on a sensitive contract in the Middle East, devised and implemented procedures to prevent a recurrence, and successfully negotiated with the U.S. Government to avoid exposure.
• Extensive experience with compliance programs and training.
• Developed and instituted an end-to-end contracting and licensing model for a small business.
• Led the adoption and implementation of a corporate compliance program for a large (Fortune 150) Silicon Valley company.
• Rated in the top 1% of all managers worldwide at Sun Microsystems in anonymous employee feedback survey.

PREVIOUS EXPERIENCE

• Click 4 Compliance, General Counsel
• Sun Microsystems, Senior Legal Director
• Crowell & Moring

HONORS AND AWARDS

• Sun Leadership Award, 2001

PRO BONO AND COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT

• GLOV, Co-Founder and Spokesperson
• Adjunct Professor of Legal Research & Writing – George Washington University

PUBLICATIONS AND SPEECHES

• ACC-Europe:  The Modern Anti-Corruption Environment (2012).
• “Writing as an In-House Lawyer – How Is It Different?”, The Legal Writing Institute (2013).

LANGUAGES

• French