Career
Chris is a highly experienced litigator with a strong background in appellate practice, complex commercial litigation, business torts, environmental disputes, and governmental relations.
Chris served for seven years as the first solicitor general for the State of North Carolina. He has argued five times before the U.S. Supreme Court and has had multiple arguments before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, the North Carolina Supreme Court, and the North Carolina Court of Appeals.
As North Carolina’s first solicitor general, Chris established the policies and procedures for that office and the process for the Solicitor General’s review and management of all civil appeals involving the state of North Carolina. In addition, he served as an adviser to the North Carolina attorney general with respect to appellate issues and other policy matters. As solicitor general, Chris worked closely with virtually every division and section within the North Carolina Department of Justice, as well as numerous general counsel and agency heads within the executive branch of North Carolina state government. In recognition of his service as solicitor general, then-Governor Beverly Perdue awarded Chris the Order of the Long Leaf Pine for extraordinary service to the state.
Prior to working for the state, Chris was a partner at a law firm where his practice focused on complex litigation matters. While at that firm, he was part of a trial team handling one of the longest war crimes proceedings in history – a case tried in the Hague, Netherlands before the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia.
Professional Memberships
Chris is among the first attorneys certified as an appellate practice specialist by the North Carolina State Bar Board of Legal Specialization. He is a past-chair of the Appellate Rules Committee for the North Carolina Bar Association and served as North Carolina’s representative to the Fourth Circuit’s Advisory Committee on Rules and Procedures. He has also served as chair of the American Bar Association’s Judicial Division Lawyers Conference. He currently serves on the Appellate Practice Specialization Committee of the North Carolina State Bar.
Personal
Chris has taught appellate practice at Duke University School of Law as a senior lecturing fellow. He is a frequent speaker before bar associations and other organizations on issues relating to appellate practice, complex litigation, and original actions before the U.S. Supreme Court.
