Practice Areas
Admissions
- Missouri
- Illinois
- U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Missouri
- U.S. Court of Appeals, Eighth Circuit
Education
J.D., Saint Louis University School of Law, 2001
B.A., History and Russian, Saint Louis University, 1996
Profile
Since the early days of his career when he worked as a public defender, Chris Pickett has found success fighting on behalf of his clients in dozens of jury trials and arbitrations. Today, he draws on that experience to represent clients from across the country in an array of business litigation matters, particularly in the areas of securities and higher education.
Chris’ areas of focus include employment disputes, unfair competition and securities litigation. He helps clients from an array of industries with disputes related to restrictive covenants, misappropriation of trade secrets, as well as discrimination claims and claims of breach of fiduciary duty and unfair competition. His experience in restrictive covenant and trade secret matters is particularly extensive, ranging to hundreds of cases across the country, and he is co-leader of the firm’s trade secrets/restrictive covenants group.
In his higher education work, Chris represents colleges and universities in all facets of litigation, including employment and labor matters, personal injury litigation, contract litigation as well regularly advising on, and conducting investigations that relate to both student and employee conduct.
Chris has a network of local counsel that has allowed him to seek and obtain hundreds of injunctions in almost every state. His securities practice includes representing brokerage firms in recruiting and raiding cases as well as investor actions before the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA). He has first chaired dozens of matters before FINRA arbitration panels. Chris also regularly advises and defends people implicated or charged in federal criminal offenses, including conspiracy, insider trading, mail and wire fraud and money laundering.
Chris is a member of the firm’s board of directors and also serves as chief diversity officer, leading efforts to foster an equitable and inclusive workplace. Since joining Greensfelder in 2012, he has helped oversee the firm’s diversity initiatives, and in 2013, he was named as a Leadership Council on Legal Diversity fellow, participating in a national leadership program for high-performing attorneys from diverse backgrounds. Chris is a frequent presenter to businesses, bar groups and other organizations on topics related to equity and inclusion, including dismantling assimilation and increasing diversity in the legal profession. As leader of the firm’s Equity, Retention and Advancement Committee, his focus areas include growing, retaining and advancing a diverse group of employees, with a particular focus on groups that have been historically underrepresented in law firms.
Professional Affiliations
- American Bar Association
- Bar Association of Metropolitan St. Louis
- Defense Research Institute
- St. Louis County Bar Association
- Mound City Bar Association
- Leadership Council on Legal Diversity, Fellows Alumni Conference Committee, 2014; Strategy & Innovation Committee, 2014; Fellows Program, 2014
Community/Civic Activities
- Habitat for Neighborhood Business, Board of Directors
- Leadership St. Louis, Class of 2012-2013
Honors & Awards
Honors & Awards
- Missouri Lawyers Award, Law Firm Leader, Missouri Lawyers Media, 2021
- Diversity & Inclusion Award, Missouri Lawyers Media, 2018
- Excellence in Business Performance Award, St. Louis American Foundation, 2017
- St. Louis Business Journal Diverse Business Leader, 2016
- Who's Who Diversity in Color, 2015
- St. Louis Business Journal 40 Under 40, 2014
News & Insights
News
- December 4, 2020
- July 2018
- Law360, January 1, 2018
- November 2017
- Wealth Management, October 30, 2017
- April 3, 2017
- St. Louis Small Business Monthly, February 2017
- St. Louis Business Journal, September 9, 2016
- August 8, 2016
- INSIGHT Into Diversity, July/August 2016
- January 4, 2016
- Fox2News, February 2, 2015
- January 2, 2014
- The St. Louis American, May 2, 2013
Seminars & Speaking Engagements
- "Dismantling Assimilation in the Legal Profession"Association for Corporate Counsel, St. Louis, Missouri, July 14, 2020
- "Dismantling Assimilation in the Legal Profession"Association for Corporate Counsel, St. Louis, Missouri, December 11, 2019
- "Increasing Diversity within the Legal Profession"Illinois State Bar Association Webinar, December 4, 2019
- Panelist, "Diversity and Inclusion on Wall Street: Problem Solved?"NBA Annual Convention, New York, NY, July 24, 2019
- "Litigation Panel"SIFMA C&L Regional Seminar, St. Louis, Missouri, June 20, 2017
- "Makes Me Want To Holler: More Law and Less Diversity in Financial Services"National Bar Association’s 91st Convention, St. Louis, MO, July 18, 2016
- 2016 Implicit Bias ProgramUniversity of Missouri School of Law, March 21, 2016
- November 5, 2014
Publications
Articles & Books
- Westlaw Journal, December 2017
- "Restrictive covenants in a social media world"Association of Corporate Counsel St. Louis, October 27, 2017
- Today's General Counsel, October-November 2017
- St. Louis Lawyer, February 2017
- Financial Advisor, July 15, 2015
- St. Louis Lawyer, May 2015
Newsletters
- April 16, 2020