In an interview with The Brief, BCL Legal's publication on legal careers, Katten London Managing Partner and Employment Litigation and Counseling partner Christopher Hitchins discusses a career that has taken him through several US law firms in London and seen him move from corporate work into employment practice.
Chris began his career as a corporate lawyer at a leading UK firm before joining the London office of a major US firm in 2000. There, he took on employment work for private equity clients and eventually moved into the practice full time. After stints at another US firm and at an employment-focused UK firm, where he advised a number of US firms, including Katten, he joined Katten in 2015 and became London managing partner in 2021.
The article also looks at how Katten's London office has evolved since opening 21 years ago as an extension of the firm's financial services practice. It now has 43 fee earners and a broad commercial offering for financial services institutions, investors and public and private companies.
Chris explains that the office's strategy is to grow by building out its existing capabilities, including recent hires in structured finance and restructuring, and by working with colleagues in the United States to share clients, networks and referrals. "I think there is a really good opportunity for firms of our size because we're trying to take on market share by working with our existing colleagues in the US, both in terms of clients that they or we have and a shared network to which we can market together, and from which we can also gain referrals," he says.
He also describes how London lawyers are integrated into the firm's US practice while the office continues to offer cross-practice and whole-of-office client pitches. "The advantage we have in London is that we're all in the same office, so we have the ability to put together a cross-practice-group, or indeed a whole-of-office, networking and marketing pitch," he explains.
"The managing partner of Katten's London office tells The Brief about a career that has taken in a number of US law firms and seen him move from corporate into employment practice," BCL Legal, October 2, 2026
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