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Christopher Walter

Christopher Walter works with employer clients on domestic and international HR-legal compliance, disputes, and transactional projects. Chris is a former co-chair of the firm’s International Employment practice, and previously served for eight years as Managing Partner of the London office.

Chris’s advisory practice encompasses the full range of employment and employee benefits issues that matter to leading multinational employers, including the drafting of share and other incentive plans, global mobility, privacy compliance, employment issues in M&A transactions, outsourcing, workforce integration, and the implementation of core policies/codes of conduct, with a particular focus on business and human rights.

Chris began his legal career as a UK barrister, however, and also has considerable experience as an advocate before UK courts and tribunals, securing confidentiality injunctions and defending employers against claims of unfairness, discrimination and other alleged violations of employment laws.

Chris is recommended by Legal 500 UK for his “exceptional service.” Chambers UK (2015) notes that he is "focused, business-oriented and solution-driven." Chris has been listed by Who's Who Legal since 2007 as one of the world's top employment lawyers.

Chris has served as chair of the International Committee of the Employment Lawyers Association and a member of ELA’s Management Committee. He is also a member of the European Employment Lawyers Association and the Share Plan Lawyers Group.

Chris regularly publishes articles and speaks on employment and data privacy law at both external seminars and in-house client training events.

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In this blog post, we look at a recent decision by the UK Court of Appeal and a separate prosecution brought by the Information Commissioner’s Office (“ICO”; the UK data protection authority), which together serve as a cautionary tale for employees and prospective future employers of the risks of civil liability and criminal conviction for confidential information and data theft.

Clear contractual terms and policies, supplemented by training, remain critical tools for employers seeking to deter employees from misappropriating corporate information.  Employers may wish to make use of these examples to underscore the importance of compliance.Continue Reading Employee Confidentiality and Data Theft: Recent UK Developments