Meet Chris
Chris J. W. Austin,
Business and Technology Lawyer
Chris is a seasoned business and technology lawyer with a special interest in commercial and privacy law, and a particular focus on advising technology companies.
With extensive experience gained from working in both in-house and private practice ‘Big Law’ settings, Chris provides timely, reliable, and business-savvy legal advice to high-growth, knowledge-based, and emerging technology companies. He acts as a ‘virtual counsel’ to his clients, providing practical advice for their general legal needs.
In addition to his private practice work, Chris has also worked within the legal departments of high-tech and payments companies, where he advised on legal risks, drafted and negotiated agreements, and developed internal legal department policies and procedures. He has also acted as interim Senior Corporate Counsel to Complete Innovations, Inc. (d.b.a Fleet Complete), one of the fastest-growing tech companies in the connected vehicle sector, and worked within the in-house legal departments of Payments Canada, Mitel, and the Automotive Fuel Cell Cooperation (AFCC).
Chris brings valuable practical experience and perspective to his clients, which includes companies listed in The Globe and Mail’s “Canada’s Top Growing Companies” report for 2019, 2020, and 2021. He also acts as a trusted advisor to Invest Ottawa, the lead economic development agency for knowledge-based industries, and Bayview Yards, Ottawa’s one-stop business acceleration shop.
Prior to practicing under Law Savvy, Chris worked for the largest law firm in the world and the top Technology Law firm in Ottawa, Canada (Lexpert 2020, 2021), where he was a member of the Venture Technology and Emerging Growth Companies group that earned the firm recognition as the top law firm for the most venture capital deals in 2019 (CPE Analytics).