Christopher S. Ford is a counsel in the Litigation Department who is a member of the firm’s Intellectual Property Litigation Group and Data Strategy & Security practice.

Mr. Ford has litigated trademark, trade dress, and false advertising cases in federal court and before the Trademark Trial and Appeals Board and regularly advises clients on issues relating to their trademark and brand management. He is a member of the International Trademark Association’s Non-Traditional Marks committee and has been the chair of its U.S. Litigation task force since 2020. He has guest lectured on trademark and trade dress issues at New York University School of Law and Rutgers School of Law. In 2022, Managing IP recognized him as a U.S. “rising star” for trademark work.

Mr. Ford also has an active practice advising clients on cybersecurity incident preparation and response, including in connection with criminal and civil litigation, as well as federal and state regulatory investigations. His recent matters include advising clients managing responses to corporate data breaches, business email compromises, ransomware incidents and other data security issues, including risk management for cybersecurity and business continuity planning.

Mr. Ford joined Debevoise in 2012. From 2015 to 2017, he clerked for the Hon. Laura Taylor Swain of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York. Mr. Ford received a J.D. from Duke University School of Law, cum laude, in 2012. Mr. Ford was an articles editor on the Duke Law Journal. He received a B.A., with high honors, from Swarthmore College in 2007.

Mr. Ford is a member of the Bar of the State of California and the State of New York. Mr. Ford is admitted to appear before the Central District of California, the Northern District of California, the Southern District of New York, the United States Courts of Appeals for the Second and Third Circuits, and the Supreme Court of the United States.