Chris is a Shareholder and Director of Newton, O’Connor, Turner & Ketchum, where he focuses his practice in the area of Labor and Employment Law.

As a former HR Director for one of Tulsa’s largest unionized employers, Chris has a great understanding of legal & practical issues related to Human Resources. Chris represents clients before federal and state agencies in all areas of Labor and Employment law. Chris counsels strategic business partners in employment matters, he investigates complaints of harassment and discrimination, and he counsels clients though labor relations, collective bargaining, and contract interpretation and enforcement.

Chris is a strong advocate of preventative employment law counsel. As such, Chris provides training for managers and employees, as well as compliance audits of employment policies, procedures and practices. On a client-by-client basis, Chris develops Employee Handbooks and a host of other tools that address HR needs, to include designing and implementing an intranet-based, interactive Supervisor’s Guide to HR Policies and Procedures with accompanying HR forms.

Chris is a certified Professional in Human Resources by the Human Resources Certification Institute. Chris has served in a number of leadership positions for the Tulsa Equal Employment Opportunity Coordinators’ Association and Tulsa Area Human Resources Association (TAHRA). Chris is a former Chairperson of the Oklahoma Bar Association’s Labor and Employment Law Section, and is a former Director of the state bar’s Young Lawyer’s Division.

Chris is a frequent lecturer and author on labor and employment law topics ranging from leading developments to digital forensics and electronic discovery.

Chris is a graduate of Graceland University, and received his Juris Doctor degree from The University of Tulsa College of Law, where he was the recipient of the American Jurisprudence Award in Property; served as Editor in Chief of the Tulsa Law Review; and, was inducted into the Order of the Curule Chair, the school’s highest honor.

Chris is admitted to practice before all Oklahoma state and federal courts; the United States District Court for the Northern District of California; and the United States Courts of Appeals for the Ninth and Tenth Circuits.