H. Christopher Boehning
Chair of the Global Sports Practice and U.S. Strategic Disputes and Litigation, Arbitration and Investigations Partner
Chair of the Global Sports Practice and U.S. Strategic Disputes and Litigation, Arbitration and Investigations Partner
Chris is a Partner in the Linklaters Litigation, Arbitration and Investigations group in New York. He has more than 30 years of experience representing clients in high-stakes complex commercial and civil litigation, insurance-related disputes, criminal, civil and other regulatory inquiries, internal investigations, and international arbitrations.
His practice includes international arbitration, securities litigation, economic sanctions and AML matters, e-discovery matters, insurance and sports-related disputes and regulatory matters. He has advised clients across a wide range of sectors, including financial institutions, pharmaceuticals, sports, insurance, oil and gas, chemicals, technology and manufacturing.
Before joining Linklaters, Chris held senior leadership roles at a leading New York-headquartered law firm, where he co-chaired its international, insurance and sports practices and chaired its international arbitration practice.
Chris also maintains an active pro bono practice, with a particular focus on gun violence prevention. He co-founded the Firearms Accountability Counsel Task Force and has been involved in litigation seeking accountability for harms caused by firearms.
* Representations prior to joining Linklaters.
Pro bono experience
Chris maintains a robust pro bono practice, with a particular focus on gun violence prevention. He is a co-founder of the Firearms Accountability Counsel Task Force and has been actively involved in litigation addressing the gun violence epidemic.
His pro bono work includes a landmark US$73m settlement for the Sandy Hook families in their wrongful death suit against Remington Arms, the first suit of its kind nationally to pierce the legal immunity of firearms manufacturers and hold them accountable for the harm caused by their products; a settlement against a Texas gun dealer that included written firearm sale and pawn redemption procedures and mandatory annual training for employees handling firearms; and lawsuits in Illinois state court brought by survivors of the Highland Park mass shooting against Smith & Wesson.
Chris is Chair of the University of Rochester Board of Trustees, serves on the Board of Advisors for Washington University School of Law and is on the Board of Trustees for the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame.
Chris is a fellow of the American Bar Foundation and is recognized by Chambers USA for Financial Services Regulation: Banking (Enforcement & Investigations). Clients note his “impressive expertise in enforcements by SEC, CFTC, FINRA and the DOJ, backed by impressive experience as a litigator”. Chambers has also described him as a “truly outstanding” advocate and an “extremely bright, calm and very articulate” lawyer who “always plans his strategies four moves in advance”.
Since 2010, Chris has consistently been named a Local Litigation Star for New York and a National Litigation Star for the U.S. by Benchmark Litigation for Insurance and General Commercial Litigation. He has been named to Lawdragon’s 2026 “500 Leading Litigators in America” list and its 2025 “500 Leading Global Litigators” list, and has been featured in both lists since their inception. He is also an honorary member of COMBAR.
Chris is recognized for his sports law work by Legal 500, Chambers USA, Lawdragon, Lexology Index and The National Law Journal. In 2026, he was named again to Lawdragon’s “500 Leading Global Litigators,” “500 Leading Litigators in America” list, and “500 Leading Global Entertainment, Sports & Media Lawyers” list, after being featured in the inaugural 2025 edition. He was also named in Lexology Index’s 2024 and 2025 Sports & Gaming listings. Legal 500 has described him as a “superb lawyer” and has recognized his “impressive understanding of all the legal issues as well as deep knowledge of the soccer world”. In 2026, Legal 500 elevated Chris to Leading Lawyer in the sports industry. Chambers USA has recognized him in Sports Law since 2022, noting his “extensive experience [in] handling significant litigation and regulatory issues”. He was recognized as a 2021 Sports, Gaming & Entertainment Trailblazer by The National Law Journal.
Chris received the Law360 Distinguished Legal Writing Award at the 2019 Burton Awards. He has also been recognized for his dedication to gun violence prevention, including as a 2022 Northeast Trailblazer by The American Lawyer in connection with the historic Sandy Hook settlement, and has been featured in Reuters’ Pro Bono Heroes column. Chris and colleagues have also been honored by the Brady Center with its Legal Advocate Award and by the Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence with its Richard W. Odgers Pro Bono Partner Award.
Chris received his J.D. from Washington University School of Law in 1994, where he was Editor-in-Chief of the Washington University Law Review and was elected to the Order of the Coif.
He received his M.S. in Public Policy Analysis in 1988 and his B.A. in Political Science in 1987 from the University of Rochester, where he was a Rochester National Scholar.
Chris has received the University of Rochester’s John N. Wilder Award and Garnish Citation, and the Distinguished Young Alumni Award from Washington University School of Law.
Chris is admitted in New York.
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