Chris Barwick
Associate
Areas of Focus
- Complex Commercial Litigation
- Class Actions
- Disputes & Investigations
- Securities Enforcement & Litigation
- Investment Funds Litigation
- Lobbying & Public Policy
- Pro Bono
- Handles complex commercial litigation and investigations across industries.
- Provides detailed risk analysis and general corporate advice to major public and private companies.
- Former U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein staffer who draws on his public sector experience to help clients address challenging policy and regulatory concerns.
Chris handles high-profile business disputes and investigations for clients across various industries. He also provides detailed risk analysis, general corporate advice and strategic policy recommendations to major public and private companies.
Prior to earning his J.D., Chris served in the office of U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein, in which he acted as a key liaison to the Southern California business community and worked closely with the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee on a wide range of issues impacting California and the country. Chris draws on this public sector experience to help clients address challenging policy and regulatory concerns.
At Akin, Chris maintains a robust pro bono practice. He was named the firm’s 2024 Los Angeles Pro Bono Attorney of the Year and previously served as its 2020 Pro Bono Scholar. He currently sits on the firm’s California Pro Bono Committee.
Chris earned his J.D. from the University of Southern California Gould School of Law, where he was elected to the Order of the Coif. He was a legal writing and advocacy fellow, a public interest scholar and a member of the Hale Moot Court Honors Program.
- Class Action (Investment Fund): core member of trial team representing an investment fund in a major securities fraud class action brought in federal district court relating to its investment in an oral vaccine manufacturer.
- SEC Investigation (Software Company): played a central role in responding to a complex U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) investigation of a software company.
- Cyber Security and Insider Trading Investigation (EDGAR Agent): represented an SEC Electronic Data Gathering, Analysis, and Retrieval (EDGAR) filing agent in a Department of Justice (DOJ) cybersecurity and insider trading investigation; no charges were filed against the client.
- RMBS Trust Instruction Proceeding: obtained summary judgment in California state court involving the allocation of $76 million of deferred principal proceeds across seven Residential Mortgage Backed Securities (RMBS) securitization trusts.
- Investment Strategy (Asset Management Firm): advised asset manager on subrogation claims and investments.
- Major Public Works Bid: represented a global engineering company in a $54 million, five-year project bid.
- Strategic Advice: counseled construction/disaster recovery company looking to expand operations in California.
- Municipal Advisory Work: advised Southern California city on how to avoid a dispute with a major state agency.
- Pro Bono Litigation: successfully first-chaired expungement hearing for a formerly incarcerated firefighter, mediated a federal civil rights action resulting in a significant financial recovery and managed a team handling a petition for compensation claim.
EducationJ.D., University of Southern California Gould School of Law, 2022
B.A., Brown University, 2016
J.D., University of Southern California Gould School of Law, 2022
B.A., Brown University, 2016
Bar AdmissionsCalifornia
California
- Akin 2024 Los Angeles Pro Bono Attorney of the Year
- Akin 2020 Pro Bono Scholar.
- Former Field Representative for U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein.
- Member of Public Counsel’s Leadership Council (Junior Board).
- Board Member of the Los Angeles Metropolitan Debate League.
- Member of Akin’s California Pro Bono Committee.
