Chris Ryon achieves success for his clients through careful preparation, strategic diplomacy, and vigorous advocacy.  Chris represents both private and public-sector unions in collective bargaining, contract administration, discipline and discharge cases, legislative matters, and compliance issues.  Chris also litigates on behalf of unions and employees before Maryland’s courts, federal courts, the National Labor Relations Board, and other administrative agencies. He is a frequent speaker at seminars and conferences on topics of interest related to labor, employment, and government procurement law. Chris is on the editorial board of Matthew Bender’s Labor and Employment Bulletin. In addition, Chris leads the firm’s procurement and government contracts practice. He represents government contractors in all aspects of working with state and local government. He advises contractors on the procurement process and represents them in bid protests and contract claims. He has represented businesses both large and small. Chris has successfully litigated a variety of complex cases, including sophisticated bid protest appeals and million-dollar government contract claims. He has handled government contract cases involving large construction projects, public-private partnerships, healthcare, commodities, and other services. He represents government contract employees in claims that arise out of Davis-Bacon and prevailing wage laws. Prior to joining Kahn, Smith & Collins in 2010, Chris served more than six years with the State of Maryland Office of the Attorney General. As an Assistant Attorney General with the Contract Litigation Unit, Chris represented the major procurement agencies of the State of Maryland: the University System of Maryland (USM); the units under the Maryland Department of Transportation (MDOT); the Department of Budget and Management (DBM); and the Department of General Services (DGS). Chris grew up in Northeast Baltimore City within a stone’s throw of Memorial Stadium and currently lives in Mount Washington.  He is a proud graduate of Baltimore City Public Schools (Baltimore City College ’94). 

Bar Admissions

• Maryland Court of Appeals
• Supreme Court of the United States
• United States Courts of Appeals: Fourth Circuit and D.C. Circuit
• United States District Court for the District of Maryland

Education

• University of Michigan, 1998
• University of Maryland School of Law, 2003

Recognitions

• Listed as “Top Rated” Employment & Labor Attorney by Maryland Super Lawyers
• Best Lawyers – Baltimore 2023 Labor Law-Union “Lawyer of the Year”
• Listed in the Best Lawyers in America for work in:
  • Labor Law-Union
  • Litigation-Labor and Employment

Professional Memberships

• American Bar Association
• Section of Public Contract
• Maryland State Bar Association
• Labor and Employment Section Council
• Construction Law Section

Publications

• “When is a Union entitled to Information about the Employer’s Disciplinary Investigation?” Bender’s Labor & Employment Bulletin (September, 2022) [Author]
• “Maryland Courts Continue to Dilute Meaning of ‘Just Cause’ Employment,” Maryland State Bar Association, Section of Labor and Employment Law Newsletter, (Spring 2021) [Co-Author]
• Labor and Employment Chapter, Maryland Construction Law Deskbook, Second Edition, Maryland State Bar Association (2017) [Author]

Community Service

• Public Justice Center, Inc., Leadership Council
• Mount Washington Soccer Club, Board of Directors and youth travel soccer coach