On October 9, 2025, The Barristers elected Williams & Connolly partner Chris Manning to serve as the organization’s 102nd President. Chris is the second Williams & Connolly attorney to hold this position, after Jerry Collins, one of the firm’s founding partners, did so in 1978. 

Founded in 1923, The Barristers is a professional organization in Washington, D.C. comprised of prominent attorneys and local judges. The organization is committed to promoting high standards of legal ethics and practice, strengthening relationships among local attorneys and judges, and providing mentorship opportunities to younger attorneys. The names of several founding members of the organization are still represented in the names of prominent law firms today. 

Williams & Connolly is proud to have several other Barristers in its ranks, including partners Steve Cady, Melissa Collins, Kylie Hoover, Luke McCloud, and Suzanne Salgado, and senior counsel Steve Raber and Steve Urbanczyk.

Chris represents clients in complex civil and criminal matters and advises clients facing crisis situations or other strategic challenges. He currently serves as Co-Chair of Williams & Connolly’s Arbitration and FCPA & Cross-Border Investigations practice groups and as a Co-Chair of the American Bar Association’s subcommittee on Qui Tam (False Claims Act) litigation. 

Learn more about The Barristers here.