About Christopher Hitchins

Christopher Hitchins has specialised in employment law for nearly 25 years, advising clients on all aspects of company operations. Chris helps his clients navigate workplace challenges, with their culture and enhancing their employer reputation at the forefront of his advice. His knowledge and experience enable him to advise on the full spectrum of employment issues faced by employers with large or small, growing workforces.

Representing clients across all sectors, Chris is particularly active in the financial services, luxury brands and retail, and hospitality and leisure industries. His practice encompasses traditional employment matters, including employment litigation, as well as broader areas such as workplace investigations, data privacy, benefits, reputation management and commercial issues. He also helps employers design strategies to incentivise workers, raise workforce standards and take other action to realise their goals and values as a company. In addition, he regularly represents senior executives in negotiations and disputes.

HR counsel that enhances management efficiency

Chris and his team add value for clients by finding ways to conform with the law that enhance their retention and recruitment efforts while also reducing legal risk.

For employers, he handles all day-to-day employment law and human resource compliance issues that may arise, including employment litigation (in the Employment Tribunal, and the enforcement of post-termination restrictions in the High Court), and traditional advisory matters for example involving onboarding, family-friendly rights, holiday pay, performance management, disputes and exits, as well as broader areas such as the GDPR, in particular Subject Access Requests, modern slavery compliance, anti-money-laundering and immigration issues. With extensive international expertise, he also helps clients' businesses operate effectively across borders.

Whether Chris is defending employers in a discrimination case, drafting employment contracts or designing benefits policies, he helps his clients manage HR matters more efficiently. They are free to focus on expanding their businesses, secure that they have counsel taking a cost-effective and consistent approach to issues across their workforce, enhancing their reputation as a good place to work. Providing that security is what makes Chris a long-term, trusted adviser to his clients.

Read Katten's UK Employment Client Guides.

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Practice Focus

  • Day-to-day employment law advice
  • Employment contracts, benefits and incentives
  • Data privacy obligations and the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)
  • Transfer of Undertakings (TUPE) Regulations
  • Employment tribunals and High Court litigation
  • General commercial contracts

News

Publications

Quick Reads

Presentations and Events

Practices
Education
  • The College of Law, Chester, LPC
  • University of Sheffield, BA (Law)
Bar Admissions
  • England and Wales
Community Involvements
  • Law Society of England and Wales
  • Employment Lawyers Association
Recognitions
Recognized or listed in the following:
  • The Legal 500 United Kingdom
    Leading Individual, 2017
  • Chambers UK
    2018
Award Methodologies