Christopher B. Lynch
About Christopher
Chris Lynch is a business lawyer who advises clients on complex commercial transactions, mergers and acquisitions, and government contracting across a wide range of industries—including technology and interactive entertainment, the waste and recycling industry, and hospitality—and provides experienced counsel to both emerging and established businesses operating in highly regulated sectors such as cannabis, alcoholic beverages, and solid waste management. His clients benefit from his extensive experience with sophisticated transactions in complex industries.
With licenses to practice in both Washington and California, Chris offers clients a unique multijurisdictional perspective that helps them navigate the complex and ever-evolving regulatory landscape along the West Coast.
In addition to his transactional work, Chris frequently assists clients in working with regulatory agencies and government entities to shape and interpret policy, rules, and legislation. An active member of multiple trade and industry associations, he regularly participates in the rulemaking process, drafts and coauthors legislative proposals, and advises clients on strategies to advance their business and regulatory objectives.
Chris’s combination of legal acumen, regulatory insight, and industry experience allows him to deliver practical, forward-thinking counsel that helps clients achieve their goals in even the most complex and regulated environments.
Representative Experience
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Technology Transactions Plus
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Structure, negotiate, and draft a broad range of agreements involving the development, manufacturing, licensing, sale, and commercialization of technology, including agreements related to artificial intelligence and software as a service agreements.
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Mergers & Acquisitions Plus
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Represent clients in an extended range of mergers and asset acquisitions or sales, including structuring, negotiating, and drafting related transaction documents, as well as managing and coordinating complex closings.
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Regulated Industries & Government Contracting Plus
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Advise on structuring, negotiation, and drafting of multimillion-dollar agreements for the disposal, processing, and/or treatment of waste materials.
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Provide counsel to corporate clients on a wide range of compliance and permitting issues, including cannabis, hemp, liquor, and solid waste management.
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Advise clients in responding to requests for proposals for government projects and the negotiation of government contracts.
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Rulemaking & Legislative Action Plus
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Draft and coauthor rulemaking petitions and legislative bills to advance client interests in the cannabis industry.
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Lobbied for passage of petitions and bills, including providing public testimony in support at state and local hearings and participating in agency workgroups to develop and interpret law, rules, and policies.
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Activities
- Washington State Bar Association, Member
- California Bar Association, Member
- Los Angeles County Bar Association, Member
- American Bar Association, Member
Recognition
- Selected for inclusion in Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch® (Seattle, WA)
- Business Organizations (including LLCs and Partnerships), 2026-present
- Mergers and Acquisitions Law, 2026-present
- Administrative/Regulatory Law, 2024-present
- Selected for inclusion as a Washington Super Lawyer—Rising Star, 2021-present
Insights from Christopher
- The Turbulent History of Cannabis Regulatory Enforcement in Washington State, 31 Cornell J.L. & Pub Pol’y 121 (Fall 2021)
- “At Long Last, FinCEN Offers Much Awaited Guidance Regarding BSA Due Diligence Requirements for Hemp Businesses,” Miller Nash Graham & Dunn, Bank Law Monitor (Jul. 2020)
- “COVID-19: Cannabis Industry Resources,” Miller Nash Graham & Dunn, coauthor (Mar. 2020)
- “Overproduction and Diversion,” Grow Magazine, October 2018
- “Marijuana Product Packaging and Consumer Protection: New Regulations Nationwide,” MJ News, October 2016
- “Transitioning Ownership of Liquor and Cannabis Licenses in WA and OR,” International Business Associates (IBA), Legal Symposium (Mar. 2024)
- “Business Essentials for Cannabis Start-up and Conversion, Cannabis World Congress & Business Exposition (CWNCBExpo), Los Angeles (2018)
- “Obtaining a Cannabis Business License in California,” NBI Seminars (2017)
- Federalism and Federal Tensions in Cannabis, 2017 NBI Seminars
- Protocols for Self-protection: Creating (and Maintaining) a Compliance Program, 2017 NBI Seminars
Outside the Office
Christopher is a devoted gym-goer and avid gamer. Prior to becoming a lawyer, Christopher was a Division 1 collegiate swimmer and held multiple sport and exercise training certifications (including USA Weightlifting and CrossFit certifications).