Christopher Anderson
Founding Partner, General Counsel at Calyx King Consulting- Claim this Profile
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Bio
Natalie L. Caldwell
I had the pleasure of working with Christopher while in LCA at Microsoft. He possesses a unique blend of skills and expertise stemming from his legal background and business acumen. This combination of skills and subject matter expertise enabled him to establish strong relationships across the department and with many of our vendors. Christopher has strong leadership skills which he demonstrated during his tenure with LCA. When driving department initiatives, he worked hard to find win/win solutions for stakeholders, who often wanted very different deliverables and outcomes. Christopher is a talented professional who is capable of delivering high quality results!
Scott Nagel
I hired Chris as one of the original Litigation Preparedness Consultants at LexisNexis Applied Discovery because of his extensive experience in this area and his passion for helping clients. Once I had the opportunity to work with Chris I also came to rely on his insight and market sense in building out the consulting team and in engaging clients both before and after we received a contract. His ability to assess a client's needs, and communicate those needs in a clear and concise manner was also a skill that I valued highly. The more I got to know Chris the more I came to appreciate all of the qualities identified above. However, these skills and attributes are only half the story. Chris also has a sharp sense of humor and an ability to quickly assess a situation, whether tactical or strategic, and create an action plan suited for just that situation.
Natalie L. Caldwell
I had the pleasure of working with Christopher while in LCA at Microsoft. He possesses a unique blend of skills and expertise stemming from his legal background and business acumen. This combination of skills and subject matter expertise enabled him to establish strong relationships across the department and with many of our vendors. Christopher has strong leadership skills which he demonstrated during his tenure with LCA. When driving department initiatives, he worked hard to find win/win solutions for stakeholders, who often wanted very different deliverables and outcomes. Christopher is a talented professional who is capable of delivering high quality results!
Scott Nagel
I hired Chris as one of the original Litigation Preparedness Consultants at LexisNexis Applied Discovery because of his extensive experience in this area and his passion for helping clients. Once I had the opportunity to work with Chris I also came to rely on his insight and market sense in building out the consulting team and in engaging clients both before and after we received a contract. His ability to assess a client's needs, and communicate those needs in a clear and concise manner was also a skill that I valued highly. The more I got to know Chris the more I came to appreciate all of the qualities identified above. However, these skills and attributes are only half the story. Chris also has a sharp sense of humor and an ability to quickly assess a situation, whether tactical or strategic, and create an action plan suited for just that situation.
Natalie L. Caldwell
I had the pleasure of working with Christopher while in LCA at Microsoft. He possesses a unique blend of skills and expertise stemming from his legal background and business acumen. This combination of skills and subject matter expertise enabled him to establish strong relationships across the department and with many of our vendors. Christopher has strong leadership skills which he demonstrated during his tenure with LCA. When driving department initiatives, he worked hard to find win/win solutions for stakeholders, who often wanted very different deliverables and outcomes. Christopher is a talented professional who is capable of delivering high quality results!
Scott Nagel
I hired Chris as one of the original Litigation Preparedness Consultants at LexisNexis Applied Discovery because of his extensive experience in this area and his passion for helping clients. Once I had the opportunity to work with Chris I also came to rely on his insight and market sense in building out the consulting team and in engaging clients both before and after we received a contract. His ability to assess a client's needs, and communicate those needs in a clear and concise manner was also a skill that I valued highly. The more I got to know Chris the more I came to appreciate all of the qualities identified above. However, these skills and attributes are only half the story. Chris also has a sharp sense of humor and an ability to quickly assess a situation, whether tactical or strategic, and create an action plan suited for just that situation.
Natalie L. Caldwell
I had the pleasure of working with Christopher while in LCA at Microsoft. He possesses a unique blend of skills and expertise stemming from his legal background and business acumen. This combination of skills and subject matter expertise enabled him to establish strong relationships across the department and with many of our vendors. Christopher has strong leadership skills which he demonstrated during his tenure with LCA. When driving department initiatives, he worked hard to find win/win solutions for stakeholders, who often wanted very different deliverables and outcomes. Christopher is a talented professional who is capable of delivering high quality results!
Scott Nagel
I hired Chris as one of the original Litigation Preparedness Consultants at LexisNexis Applied Discovery because of his extensive experience in this area and his passion for helping clients. Once I had the opportunity to work with Chris I also came to rely on his insight and market sense in building out the consulting team and in engaging clients both before and after we received a contract. His ability to assess a client's needs, and communicate those needs in a clear and concise manner was also a skill that I valued highly. The more I got to know Chris the more I came to appreciate all of the qualities identified above. However, these skills and attributes are only half the story. Chris also has a sharp sense of humor and an ability to quickly assess a situation, whether tactical or strategic, and create an action plan suited for just that situation.
Experience
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Calyx King Consulting
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United States
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Business Consulting and Services
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1 - 100 Employee
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Founding Partner, General Counsel
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Apr 2014 - Present
I founded Calyx King to address the need for savvy professional services in the rapidly expanding cannabis industry. I'm responsible for securing the firm's intellectual property and proprietary methodologies, negotiating agreements with our clients and collaborators, and building CKC's portfolio through both capabilities-expansion and client development. I’m proud to bring my legal expertise and Fortune 500 familiarity to the commercial opportunities that abound in the legal-cannabis economy. Since 2014, I've guided CKC clients through state-regulated cannabis licensing for a truly international clientele, including operations in: New York, Nevada, Florida, Illinois, California, Washington, Oregon, Maryland, Hawaii, and now the nation-state of Colombia. We've designed, built, retrofitted and upgraded cultivation, processing, and retail operations--including the largest production and processing facility in the heart of downtown Seattle. Calyx King's trusted counsel is premised on our industry insight and passion for designing and operating best-in-class facilities on the cutting edge of science and sustainability. CKC has the tools and the intuitive wisdom that can only be earned from decades in the fields, caring for the plant, and literally creating the products. CKC has generated sophisticated and back-tested financial models and key performance indicators that crunch numbers, simplify complexities, and provide clear return on intelligent investment. Our ability to discern between the confident genius and the experienced con-artist enables us to provide our clients with wise counsel and reliable perspectives on the ever-expanding opportunities being promoted within the industry. Due diligence is a critical component of business success, and this cannabis industry demands--now more than ever--the careful scrutiny of investment opportunities, eye-popping ROI claims, and enterprise business plans that may present more splash than substance. Show less
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General Counsel, Owner
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Dec 2014 - Present
Cultivar Farms is the largest Tier 3 Producer/Processor within Seattle city-limits: a 38,420 SF facility growing and processing premium cannabis. By utilizing cutting-edge technologies, from tissue culture micropropagation, to optimized horticulture practices, through multiple extraction and product formulation methodologies, we grow incomparable quality cannabis and transform it into best-in-class consumer-facing cannabis products. In our first full year in operation, Cultivar Farms' prestige brand, House of Cultivar, was selected by Dope Magazine as the 2017 Best Indoor Grow in Washington State and featured in the April 2018 issue of High Times Magazine. Our additional brands -- Re-UP Industries and Lbs & Ozs -- are quickly establishing themselves in their respective market segments. As General Counsel for Cultivar Farms, I manage and triage our regulatory, compliance, and corporate legal matters. I manage corporate communications, investor relations, and government affairs, including: cultivating and vetting potential partners and investors; ensuring due diligence and transparency in fiscal reporting; liaising with WA Liquor and Cannabis Board agents; and ensuring uncompromising compliance throughout the enterprise. Such work includes continuous improvement of our enterprise documentation: operations manuals; Standard Operating Procedures; employment documentation; safety and security materials; and enterprise protocols. In addition, I play an enterprise-wise “Chief of Staff” role: coordinating the executive leadership team through rhythm of business, internal systems and tools, and conscientious time management. Such executive and financial infrastructure allows Cultivar Farms to employ data-driven decision-making as we expand our product-offerings, increase our market share, and establish ourselves in the upper echelon of the cannabis market. Evolving from cannabis start-up to market-leader means always be ready to ask: "What's Next?" Show less
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Harris Moure
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United States
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Medical Practices
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Attorney
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Sep 2013 - Apr 2014
Attorney in the nascent Canna Law Group. Provided transactional, regulatory, and litigation counsel to individuals and companies operating within Washington's legal cannabis marketplace. Assisted the practice group in exponential growth and nation-wide practice planning, including marketing and business development. Attorney in the nascent Canna Law Group. Provided transactional, regulatory, and litigation counsel to individuals and companies operating within Washington's legal cannabis marketplace. Assisted the practice group in exponential growth and nation-wide practice planning, including marketing and business development.
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Microsoft
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United States
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Software Development
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200 - 300 Employee
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Legal Advisor
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Apr 2012 - Jul 2013
Support a range of Microsoft business units and multi-million dollar contracts portfolios in sourcing strategy and execution: business requirements scoping; competitive vendor selection; drafting, negotiation, finalization, and maintenance of complex strategic services agreements with major international vendors.Manage Contract Portfolios for Business Process Services Sourcing➢ Assess and understand range of business objectives in order to shape sourcing approach and contracting strategies.➢ Build Requests for Proposal (RFP), support vetting and selection process, and assist in business-issue negotiations.➢ Serve as primary point of contact between Microsoft business and various subject-matter experts (i.e., Tax, Finance, Privacy, Legal) involved in the sourcing and contracting decisions.➢ Manage the contract-drafting process: build and implement template forms; draft contracts; shepherd drafts through multi-party inputs and iterations; execute, record, and maintain official contract documentation.Deliver Best-in-Class Outsourcing Contracting Counseling➢ Develop and implement corporate-wide outsourcing standards and governance structure.➢ Audit and improve Microsoft’s client contracting methodologies and performance, vendors’ compliance with agreements, and overall contracting hygiene. ➢ Annotate and maintain best-practice form and clause libraries and templates reflecting optimal language, experience-tested alternatives, and context-specific considerations.➢ Leverage technology to improve consistency and efficiency: build online toolkits and workflow to guide clients through considerations and preliminary steps. Show less
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Program Manager - Office of the General Counsel
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Apr 2008 - Mar 2012
Develop and manage business-critical programs impacting all of Microsoft LCA’s practice groups and strategically crucial law firms and service providers. Drive multi-channel programs for enhancing “Quality, Efficiency, and Diversity” in our outside counsel and for continuous improvement of department’s internal practices and tools. Act as trusted business advisor to General Counsel, Chief of Staff, and broader LCA Senior Leadership Team (SLT). Premier Provider Program (PPP)➢ Managed convergence process. Execute General Counsel’s strategic objectives for the Program and channel approximately $120 million in annual outside counsel spend. ➢ Analyze LCA’s spending patterns across more than $300 million in annual outside counsel spend; report directly to SLT regarding strategic-sourcing opportunities for savings and cost-deflection.➢ Manage business relationship between LCA and Premier Providers; provide business development guidance on LCA legal spend, matter-type needs, and strategic direction. Women- and Minority-owned Business Enterprise Program (WMBE)➢ Report on performance against targets for WMBE spend. Liaise with practice groups to identify opportunities for engaging qualified WMBE firms. Operations: Technology & Tools➢ Identify, design, and support implementation of best practices across the department, including: Legal Project Management practices, customized SharePoint solutions, template and clause bank tools, document assembly tools, technology evangelism and training.Procurement: Strategic Sourcing & Vendor Management➢ Manage RFxs for strategic sourcing needs; draft billing policies and standardized engagement instructions templates; implement and audit third-party invoice review; evaluate on-shoring and off-shoring opportunities.Law Firm Diversity Program (LFDP)➢ Manage LCA’s innovative bonus Program rewarding firms who achieve specific attorney diversity improvement goals. Show less
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Legal Advisor
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Mar 2006 - Dec 2007
Founding member of the Strategic Records and Information Management consulting group. ➢ Advise clients on information management and discovery readiness, including: document retention; litigation response and legal holds; data-mapping; Federal Rules of Civil Procedure regarding electronic discovery; IT investments; preparation for 30(b)(6) IT-related depositions. ➢ Collaborate with Applied Discovery’s Corporate Advisory Board (Fortune 100 corporate counsel) to improve the corporate litigation and discovery management. ➢ Develop, implement, and administer infrastructure and workflow for inter-disciplinary consulting team. ➢ Plan and execute marketing and business development strategies for new consulting practice. ➢ Liaison with sales staff to develop prospects, educate staff on consulting offerings, and improve sales cycle. ➢ Speak at industry seminars; participate in thought leadership groups (i.e., The Second Conference); author white papers and instructional materials. Show less
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Perkins Coie LLP
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United States
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Law Practice
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700 & Above Employee
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Associate
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Oct 2002 - Mar 2006
General commercial litigation associate. ➢ Handled complex matters involving: commercial and government contracts, antitrust, product liability, labor and employment, securities, SEC investigations, internal audits, FOIA and reverse-FOIA requests, trade secret claims. ➢ Counseled Fortune 500 corporate clients on cost-saving, compliance, and defense strategies for records retention and information management, corporate IT investment, discovery and document review processes, ➢ Developed expertise in electronic discovery and litigation technologies: authored firm's internal electronic discovery guidelines; conducted complex document review and discovery productions, employing a variety of vendors, review applications, and document formats; liaison with IT to develop solutions for multi-office document review; compiled a reference database of electronic discovery case law and on-line resources. Show less
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Education
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1999 - 2002
University of Virginia School of Law
JD, Contracts, IP, “cyberlaw” & emerging tech, admin law, FDA procedures, evidence, trial law. -
1998 - 1999
University of Chicago
MA, Social Sciences -
1991 - 1997
University of Virginia
BA, Philosophy, Anthropology
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