2018
Cloud, before it was the obvious answer
Led the multi-phase move from fragmented on-premise systems to Exchange Online and iManage in the cloud.
About
Christopher Fryer. Twenty-five years of technology leadership.
CIO, team builder, and hands-on practitioner.
25+ years
Technology leadership
12 years
CIO, Hanson Bridgett
26 people
Team across IT, Research, e-Discovery
$7M+
Annual technology budget
The short version
A strong foundation is the best way to succeed.
I spent 23 years at Hanson Bridgett, an AmLaw 200 firm, the last 12 as CIO. I led a 26-person team across IT, Legal Research, and e-Discovery, managed a $7M+ budget, and sat on the Executive Leadership Team. I hired nearly every member of that team and developed several from the help desk into managers.
My operating belief is simple. The flashy work, the AI, the agents, the new tools, is only possible if the unglamorous work is rock solid: infrastructure, security, governance, and especially the team. You cannot innovate on top of a wobble.
Track record
The milestones that took years to land.
2019
Dynamic Workforce Initiative
Full remote capability for all staff, roughly six months before anyone knew what that would mean.
2023
AI Taskforce
Co-established and co-chaired the firm’s AI Taskforce, driving evaluation and adoption of generative and agentic AI.
2024
Accounting, out of the server room
Moved the firm’s legacy accounting platform to a cloud-based system, migrating reporting and every connected system with it. Books never missed a close.
2024
Copilot and beyond
Rolled out Microsoft Copilot and piloted tools including Claude Code, with change management to build organizational AI fluency.
Ongoing
Security from the ground up
Architected the firm’s cybersecurity program on NIST principles, with immutable backups and disaster recovery planning.
Career
Where the 25 years went.
2014 – 2026
Chief Information Officer
Hanson Bridgett LLPAmLaw 200 firm, about 410 attorneys and staff, roughly $150M revenue. Executive Leadership Team member. Led strategy, security, infrastructure, and a 26-person team.
2002 – 2014
Director of Information Technology
Hanson Bridgett LLPTwelve years of progressive leadership. Joined the Management Committee in 2011. Early colocation, VoIP, CRM, mobile device management, and the matter-centric iManage redesign.
1999 – 2002
Founder & Principal
Adept ConsultingTechnology consulting for legal and nonprofit organizations, from infrastructure implementations to strategy.
1995 – 1999
Firmwide Network Manager
Graham and James LLPTechnology refreshes, network upgrades, and distributed IT operations across an international firm’s offices.
1993 – 1995
Early career
California League of Conservation VotersBuilt networks and donor systems in the environmental nonprofit sector, where the career started.