Davis Wright Hires FinTech Partner Ford Away From Ballard Spahr

Davis Wright Tremaine has hired Ballard Spahr’s Chris Ford as a financial services and technology partner in its Washington office.

Ford, who’s hiring was announced by his new firm in a statement Tuesday, is the tenth lateral partner to join Davis Wright Tremaine in 2020 as part of its ongoing hiring campaign. He follows Chava Brandriss, who came from Hogan Lovells in March, as the second financial services lateral partner added this year.

The campaign is focused on specific industries that the firm believes are central to its long-term success: financial services, technology, healthcare, media/entertainment, energy and restaurants/food and beverage. It has continued despite a fiscal belt-tightening prompted by the coronavirus pandemic.

Ford represents clients in large financial services transactions including processing, merchant servicing, sponsorship and network incentive programs, according to the firm. He also negotiates complex technology agreements and has a growing FinTech practice.

“Ballard is a great firm with a lot of great clients and a tremendous consumer financial services practice, but they don’t really do what I do,” Ford said. “This is what DWT is known for, large-scale financial services transactions, the stuff that I’ve been doing for about 25 years.”

“With Chris, we check a lot of boxes,” Claude Goetz, co-chairman of the firm’s banking and financial services practice said in a statement. “He brings great depth to our very strong transactions and fintech teams and also ups our game in outsourcing.”

In April, Davis Wright Tremaine joined a growing list of Big Law firms implementing pay cuts as a result of the pandemic. The firm said it would reduce equity partner distributions, which are expected to be at least 25% below budget in 2020.

Managing partner Jeff Gray said the firm made the decision following a slowdown in collections.

Ford, who made the decision to switch firms after the pandemic began, said he isn’t worried about the pay cuts because he is confident in Davis Wright Tremaine’s management and underlying financial stability.

“It’s no more of a concern for me here than it would be anywhere else,” he said. “This is something that’s hitting the whole marketplace.”