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

• 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

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