Chris graduated from the University of Maryland, College Park, with a BA degree in Russian Area Studies. He furthered his Russian studies at the Herzden Pedagogical Institute in St. Petersburg, Russia. He is a graduate of the Washington College of Law, at the American University in Washington, D.C.

Chris has worked both as a volunteer with the AIDS Legal Referral Panel (ALRP) in San Francisco, CA, and as a volunteer and contract attorney with The Desert AIDS Project in Palm Springs, CA, focusing on estate planning for clients with HIV and AIDS.