Biography
Chris Patrick is a Principal in the Denver, Colorado, office of Jackson Lewis P.C. and is a member of the Firm’s Affirmative Action Compliance and OFCCP Defense practice group and Pay Equity resource group.
Chris partners with employers on practical solutions to ensure equal employment opportunity (EEO), including counseling on affirmative action, pay equity and transparency, and diversity. In short, Chris develops actionable strategies under privilege that identify and eliminate unseen barriers to EEO in personnel practices—often informed by trends in employee data.
His work focuses on developing affirmative action programs, proactive pay analyses, diversity analyses, statistical evaluation of employment practices, and defending United States Department of Labor, Office of Federal Contracts Compliance Programs (OFCCP) compliance reviews. He has successfully guided many federal contractors through hundreds of OFCCP audits, including Corporate Management Compliance Evaluations, on-site investigations, focused reviews, compensation scrutiny, and hiring discrimination investigations.
Chris also provides advice and counsel related to potential risks of reduction in force, latent liabilities in target acquisition employment practices, and other analytics in the context of client mergers, acquisitions, and other restructuring.
Before joining Jackson Lewis in 2013, Chris practiced in boutique firms in Los Angeles and Denver. His practice centered on civil litigation, including issues of employment discrimination, non competition agreements, protection of intellectual property rights, and other employment-related issues.
During law school, Chris served on the Editorial Board for The Journal for the National Association of Administrative Law Judges.
Honors and Recognitions
- The Best Lawyers in America©, "Employment Law - Management" (2021-2022)
- Chambers USA, “Labor and Employment” (2016-2019, 2022)
Professional Associations and Activities
- Northern California Industry Liaison Group, Steering Committee
- American Association for Access, Equity, and Diversity (AAAED), Faculty Instructor
- Colorado Industry Liaison Group
- Wounded Warrior Project, Pro Bono Volunteer
Published Works
- “UPDATE: EEO-1 Reporting Deadline Extended Until October 25, 2021,” The National Law Review (August 2021) (co-author)
- “OFCCP’s New Scheduling Letters Result in Few Changes for Contractors,” The National Law Review (April 2020) (co-author)
- “Despite Snag in Employee Pay Data Reporting, Pay Transparency Marches On,” Daily Journal (October 2019) (co‑author)
- “Unpacking the OFCCP's Proposed Audit Compliance Letters,” Law360 (August 2019) (co-author)
- “Rethinking Pay Equity: Who is ‘Comparable’ for Pay Equity Purposes?,” Jackson Lewis (March 2019) (author)
- Affirmative Action Law Advisor Blog (contributor)
- Pay Equity Law Advisor Blog (contributor)
- California Workplace Law Blog (contributor)
Speeches
- “Pay Equity: Meeting the Evolving Requirements and Becoming Who Your Organization Wants to Be,” SHRM21 (Las Vegas, NV, September 2021) (presenter)
- “Corporate Efforts to Combat Systemic Racism: Mitigating Risks and Unintended Consequences,” San Antonio Industry Liaison Group (San Antonio, TX, September 2021), North Texas Industry Liaison Group (webinar, March 2021) (co-presenter)
- “In Full Disclosure: Harmonizing the Patchwork of Pay Transparency Laws,” Industry Liaison Group National Conference (Nashville, TN, August 2021) (co-presenter)
- “Fine Tuning Diversity Strategies to Achieve Results and Avoid Legal Pitfalls,” Industry Liaison Group National Conference (Nashville, TN, August 2021) (co-presenter)
- “National Origin and Religious Discrimination,” American Association for Access, Equity, & Diversity Professional Development and Training Institute (webinar, June 2020, October 2020, March 2021, August 2021) (co-presenter)
- “Alternative Dispute Resolution & Evolving Trends in EEO Laws,” American Association for Access, Equity & Diversity Professional Development and Training Institute (webinar, June 2020, October 2020, March 2021, August 2021) (co-presenter)
- “Colorado’s Opportunity Transparency Requirements: Can your Promotions Systems Comply?,” Colorado Industry Liaison Group (March 2021) (presenter)
- “TAG—You’re It: What OFCCP’s Technical Assistance Guide for Educational Institutions Clarifies (and What It Doesn’t),” American Association for Access, Equity, and Diversity 46th Annual National Conference (virtual conference, August 2020) (co-presenter)
- “OFCCP Focused Reviews: What to Expect and How to Prepare,” Ohio Industry Liaison Group (virtual meeting, May 2020) (presenter)
- “State Pay Equity Compliance for Employers: Closing the Pay Gap and Conducting Privileged Pay Audits,” Strafford Publications (Webinar, September 2019) (co presenter)
- “Starting Salary: Where the Road to Pay Equity Begins,” Industry Liaison Group National Conference (Milwaukee, WI, August 2019) (co-presenter), DirectEmployers Annual Meeting (Naples, FL, May 2019) (co presenter)
- “Pay Equity: Identifying and Mitigating the Risks of Potential Pay Discrimination,” Local Job Network, now Circa (webinar, September 2016) (presenter)
- “How to Identify Potential Barriers in Your Hiring Process,” Hospitality Human Resources Association (Denver, CO, August 2016) (presenter)
- “How to Conduct Effective Outreach and Recruitment,” Local Job Network, now Circa (webinar, April 2016, December 2015) (presenter)
- “Recruiting Regulation & Affirmative Action: What You Don't Know Can Hurt You,” Recruiting Trends (Orlando, FL, November 2015) (presenter)