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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 the wake of the financial crisis and the so-called ‘shareholder-spring’ of 2012 (a period during which many shareholders refused to endorse directors’ remuneration policies), the government has introduced new rules on directors’ remuneration reporting. The new rules: (i) increase the compliance burdens regarding the reporting of directors’ remuneration policies; (ii) increase shareholder control over remuneration and termination packages; and (iii) introduce potential personal liability for directors who authorise payments in violation of an approved policy.

These changes bound certain UK-incorporated quoted companies with effect from 1 October 2013. The government estimates that around 900 companies have been affected.
Continue Reading New UK Directors’ Remuneration Reporting Regime

The UK High Court recently confirmed that incentive pay may be conditioned upon good behavior.  In Imam-Sadeque v BlueBay Asset Management (Services) Ltd [2012] EWHC 3511 (QB), the court concluded that forfeiting incentive pay for bad behavior does not constitute an unlawful penalty.  In that case, an employee and employer had entered into a release agreement under which the employee was deemed a “good leaver,” provided he complied with the terms of his employment contract.  The employee later breached implied obligations of fidelity during his notice by providing confidential information to and otherwise assisting a potential competitor.  The employer refused to grant the employee any unvested awards and the employee sued, claiming among other things that forfeiting unvested incentive awards in such circumstances amounted to an unlawful penalty. 
Continue Reading Forfeiture of Incentive Pay for Violation of Employment Agreement Is Not an Unlawful Penalty, Says UK High Court

In August, the U.K. Financial Services Authority (“FSA”) issued a proposal to implement the requirement in the 2010 Capital Requirements Directive (“CRD III”) that competent local authorities collect information concerning the pay practices of relevant financial services firms.  CRD III requires local authorities to transmit this information to the European…
Continue Reading UK Financial Services Authority Proposes Collecting Benchmarking and High Earners Reports from Regulated Entities