Christopher Y. Lee

CHRISTOPHER LEE represents individual and corporate clients in securities and shareholder litigation, general commercial disputes, and investigations. He has experience in a wide range of proceedings in federal and state courts, and arbitrations across the country, including securities class actions, shareholder derivative litigation, M&A litigation, trade secret and non-compete disputes, commodities and futures litigation, and real estate-related litigation. Chris has also represented clients in responding to government investigations and enforcement actions, and in conducting investigations, including for boards of directors and special committees. Chris’s representations frequently involve complex financial and economic issues, and he has substantial experience working with experts.

Chris has prevailed for clients at all stages of litigation. He has negotiated resolutions before litigation was filed, won on dispositive motions in both trial and appellate courts, and won at trial for both plaintiffs and defendants, including by obtaining an arbitration award in excess of $140 million that was confirmed, affirmed on appeal, and collected by his client, and by securing a complete defense trial victory for his client where tens of millions of dollars of damages were alleged.

Prior to joining the firm, Chris clerked for the Honorable John Z. Lee of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. Prior to law school, Chris worked as a senior analyst at an economics and financial consulting firm that provides expert analysis and testimony to attorneys involved in complex commercial litigation.

Chris graduated magna cum laude from the Northwestern University School of Law, where he was an articles editor of the Northwestern University Law Review, was elected to Order of the Coif, and won the Arlyn Miner Book Award for excellence in legal writing. He earned his B.A., summa cum laude, from Boston College where he was elected to Phi Beta Kappa.

Chris serves on the Chairman’s Advisory Council of the Big Shoulders Fund, where he leads mock trial teams of seventh graders at Chicago Catholic schools with a demonstrated need.

Securities and Shareholder Claims

• Represented a Fortune 50 pharmaceutical and medical device company and its officers in a federal securities litigation, multiple shareholder derivative litigations, multiple books and records demands, multiple shareholder demands, and multiple investigations by the board of directors.
• Represented a Fortune 200 global manufacturer of personal care products and its officers in a federal securities litigation in both district and appellate courts.
• Represented a global consumer goods company and its officers in a federal securities litigation.
• Represented a global medical device company and its officers in a federal securities litigation.
• Represented a former executive of a Fortune 200 global financial services company in a federal securities litigation.
• Represented multiple companies in courts across the country in defense of shareholder challenges to mergers and acquisitions.

General Commercial Litigation

• Represented a pharmaceutical company in federal court and multiple arbitrations involving breach of contract and misappropriation of trade secrets claims.
• Represented a market maker in state and federal courts in a breach of contract and trade secret misappropriation dispute.
• Represented a partner in a private equity firm in state trial and appellate courts in defense of fraud and fraudulent misrepresentation claims relating to the investment in and sale of a portfolio company.
• Represented a national insurance company in an arbitration concerning a failed enterprise software implementation by a Fortune 500 software vendor.
• Represented a futures brokerage firm in federal court and in arbitration concerning transactions on an international futures exchange.
• Represented corporate officers in state court in defense of breach of contract and fraud claims relating to the sale of a company.
• Represented a market maker in connection with multiple criminal trials involving alleged spoofing in the precious metals futures markets and the U.S. treasuries market.
• Represented an investment company in connection with multiple disputes relating to its real estate portfolio.
• Advised a financial services firm in the termination of an underperforming systems integrator on an in-progress software implementation.
• Advised a national insurance company regarding claims relating to a failed software implementation project.
• Represented a large manufacturing company in adversary proceedings in federal bankruptcy court in defense of fraudulent transfer and preference claims.

Investigations

• Represented an energy brokerage firm and its broker in an investigation conducted by a commodities derivative exchange, an arbitration brought by the exchange, and a subsequent investigation and enforcement action brought in federal court by the CFTC.
• Represented a multinational banking and financial services company and its employees in separate investigations conducted by the CFTC and a commodities derivative exchange.
• Represented a market maker in connection with multiple internal investigations into misappropriation of confidential information.
• Represented a hedge fund in connection with multiple internal investigations into misappropriation of confidential information.
• Represented a global manufacturing company in an internal investigation into accounting practices.