Christopher Landau is Of Counsel in the firm’s new Washington, D.C. office. Chris most recently served as United States Ambassador to Mexico from 2019 to 2021. He has a diverse array of experience both inside the courtroom, at every stage of litigation, and outside of the courtroom, in navigating and solving multidimensional challenges. He focuses on complex litigation, developing sophisticated legal strategies and unique solutions.
As Ambassador to Mexico, Chris presided over the United States’ largest diplomatic mission and fostered unprecedented bilateral cooperation that yielded results including the ratification and entry into force of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Free Trade Agreement, protection of border commerce and regional supply chains during the pandemic, and the lowest levels of illegal migration in years.
Prior to his diplomatic service, Chris practiced law for three decades at two renowned national law firms. He has briefed and argued cases involving a wide range of issues at every phase of litigation, as well as in the U.S. Supreme Court and all of the federal courts of appeals.
A graduate of Harvard College and Harvard Law School, Chris clerked twice at the Supreme Court, first for Justice Antonin Scalia and then for Justice Clarence Thomas. He is fluent in Spanish and proficient in French.
Clerkships
- The Hon. Clarence Thomas, Supreme Court of the United States
- The Hon. Antonin Scalia, Supreme Court of the United States
- The Hon. Clarence Thomas, United States Court of Appeals, D.C. Circuit
Education
- Harvard Law School, J.D., magna cum laude, 1989
Articles Co-chair, Harvard Law Review; Sears Prize (highest GPA in second year) - Harvard College, A.B., summa cum laude, 1981
Sophia Freund Prize (first in class); Certificate in Latin American Studies
Bar Admissions
- District of Columbia
