Experience 

Chris Houpt focuses his practice on commercial, banking, and structured finance litigation, particularly matters involving credit default swaps (CDS), collateralized debt obligations (CDO), and other complex financial transactions. Chris’s appellate experience includes briefs in the U.S. Supreme Court, federal Courts of Appeals, and various state appellate courts. He has also advised clients on punitive damage and class certification issues at the pre-trial stage and drafted related motions in limine.

Chris joined Mayer Brown in 2005, after serving as a foreign law clerk for the Honorable Aharon Barak, President of the Supreme Court of Israel. During law school, Chris was an editor on the Harvard Law Review and a Teaching Fellow for the Harvard Economics Department.  Previously, he worked in portfolio management and business development at the D. E. Shaw Group and as a manager in the finance department of Covad Communications. Chris passed the National Futures Association’s Series 3 exam in 2000 and has completed the first two levels of the Chartered Financial Analyst^® program.

Notable Engagements 

• Represents holders of super-senior securities in Lehman Brothers-related litigation arising out of CDS and CDO transactions.
• Represents CDO trustee in litigation over the interpretation of waterfall and subordination terms of indenture.
• Argued and briefed appeal in New York’s Second Department, winning reversal of summary judgment and new trial based on evidentiary errors.
• Represented military contractor in successful Second Circuit defense and cert denial in Agent Orange product liability cases involving the government contractor defense and federal officer removal.
• Obtained reversal of forum non conveniens dismissal in First Circuit appeal of international contract dispute.
• Won dismissal of Alien Tort Claims Act and Alien Tort Statute claims against Lebanese bank on jurisdictional grounds.
• Won dismissal of all claims in dispute over interpretation of secured lending contract.

Education 

Harvard Law School, JD, cum laude, 2005; Harvard Law Review • Dartmouth College, (Economics / Japanese), magna cum laude, 1998; Phi Beta Kappa

Admitted

• New York, 2007
• Southern District of New York, 2008
• Eastern District of New York, 2008
• Western District of New York, 2008