Christopher R. Riano

Christopher R. Riano is a constitutional, public law and regulatory attorney in Holland & Knight's New York office. As a strategic regulatory advisor who counsels complex institutions and businesses operating at the intersection of law, government and public policy, Mr. Riano regularly advises higher education institutions, infrastructure developers, healthcare systems, energy stakeholders and Fortune 500 companies on navigating regulatory risk, government oversight, enforcement exposure and high-stakes public decision-making.

Clients turn to Mr. Riano when legal questions are inseparable from political realities – when regulatory uncertainty threatens institutional stability, when enforcement risk carries reputational consequences or when growth initiatives depend on anticipating how government actors will respond. Drawing on senior executive experience inside state government, he delivers legal analysis and regulatory foresight to help clients understand how decisions are made, where risk emerges and how to position themselves proactively rather than defensively.

Executive-Level Government Experience Across Critical Sectors

Mr. Riano previously served as assistant counsel to the governor of New York, as well as general counsel to the New York State Liquor Authority, commissioner of the New York State Gaming Commission and an administrative law judge at two different state agencies. In those roles, he advised senior policymakers and agency leadership on complex statutory frameworks, enforcement matters, administrative adjudications and regulatory reform.

Mr. Riano's executive portfolio extended across sectors central to economic stability and public trust. He provided legal and policy counsel on matters affecting K-12 and higher education, alcohol beverage law and regulation, gaming law and regulation, government procurement, economic development, healthcare, government investigations, state and federal constitutional issues, finance and insurance, ethics compliance, infrastructure and energy. This cross-sector leadership required coordinating legal strategy across agencies, managing politically sensitive matters and advising on initiatives involving billions of dollars in economic activity. That experience now enables him to guide clients operating under multi-agency oversight and evolving regulatory mandates.

By working at the executive level across multiple statewide systems simultaneously, Mr. Riano has gained extensive insight into how agencies interact, how enforcement priorities shift and how executive decision-making shapes regulatory outcomes. This perspective allows him to deliver integrated advice to clients navigating overlapping regulatory regimes.

Higher Education and Institutional Strategy

Mr. Riano is nationally recognized for his work in higher education governance and regulatory modernization. He has advised colleges and universities on accreditation risk, cross-border mergers, enrollment-driven restructuring and fiduciary obligations. He regularly counsels boards and presidents on navigating regulatory exposure while preserving institutional mission and public accountability. Mr. Riano's work in this space reflects his broader practice philosophy: Legal strategy must align with governance realities, financial sustainability and stakeholder trust.

Healthcare, Infrastructure and Regulated Industry Counseling

Healthcare providers and health systems benefit from Mr. Riano's familiarity with public health governance, executive oversight and agency enforcement dynamics. Infrastructure clients value his understanding of procurement complexities, public authority structures and capital development pressures. For regulated industries – including gaming, alcohol and emerging sectors – Mr. Riano brings firsthand experience overseeing licensing frameworks, enforcement investigations and administrative proceedings. He designs compliance strategies aligned not only with statutory text, but with how regulators actually exercise discretion. In high-profile or politically sensitive matters, he helps clients manage legal risk while accounting for public perception, legislative engagement and executive priorities.

Constitutional and Appellate Insight

Mr. Riano has been involved in significant appellate advocacy, including matters before the U.S. Supreme Court. In Kennedy v. Braidwood (2025), he represented a collation of healthcare organizations, bar associations and others as amicus parties supporting access to lifesaving preventative care. He was an amicus party in United States v. Skrmetti (2024), represented the New York State Bar Association as an amicus party in 303 Creative v. Elenis (2023) and Fulton v. City of Philadelphia (2021), worked on representing a trade association in Mark Johnson v. United States (2000) and helped draft the position of several states in the last major 21st Amendment case, Tennessee Wine and Spirits Retailers Association v. Thomas (2019). His constitutional background informs his regulatory practice by grounding strategic advice in a deep understanding of administrative law, federalism and the evolving boundaries of government authority.

Strategic Advantage for Institutional Clients

Across sectors, Mr. Riano's value lies in perspective. He has advised governors, agency heads, commissioners, boards and executive leadership. He understands how regulatory priorities are formed, how investigations escalate, how public narratives develop and how institutional decisions are scrutinized. He brings that executive insight to private clients to help them anticipate regulatory developments, structure compliance systems aligned with enforcement realities, engage constructively with government stakeholders, navigate investigations and public controversies, and design growth strategies within complex statutory environments.

Few attorneys combine executive branch leadership across healthcare, transportation, infrastructure, energy, higher education and other regulated industries. That breadth enables Mr. Riano to serve as a bridge between government and industry, offering clients strategic clarity in moments where legal, political and operational considerations converge.

Thought and Organizational Leadership

In 2021, Mr. Riano received the Silver Gavel Award from the American Bar Association for his book, Marriage Equality: From Outlaws to In-Laws, co-authored with William N. Eskridge Jr. of Yale Law School. The book, which presents the 50-year history of the marriage equality movement, was hailed as the "magnum opus" of the field by The New York Times. He has taught classes at Columbia University and Yale Law School, and his scholarship and commentary have been cited nationally, reinforcing his reputation as both practitioner and legal thinker.

Previously, Mr. Riano served as the president and CEO of the Center for Civic Education, a nonpartisan civic and constitutional law education organization dedicated to promoting democratic principles and actively engaged in the practice of civic engagement in the U.S. and around the globe.