Chris is an appellate specialist who has represented companies and individuals in appellate courts around the U.S., across a spectrum of subject matters.
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Chris focuses his practice on complex litigation at the trial and appellate levels. He has argued before the U.S. Courts of Appeals for the Third and Eleventh Circuits, and has authored or co-authored dozens of briefs in the U.S. Supreme Court, federal courts of appeals, and various state appellate courts, with particularly deep experience before the Third Circuit. He has successfully opposed certiorari in the U.S. Supreme Court and briefed appeals involving hundred-million dollar professional liability claims, multibillion dollar patent infringement claims, issues of first impression under the False Claims Act, nineteenth-century Pennsylvania land-use law, and everything in between.
Chris represents a diverse array of clients in cases across a spectrum of subject matters, including class action defense, intellectual property, professional liability, products liability, civil rights, criminal defense, and immigration. Chris also has a particular interest in higher education law, advising clients on and litigating cutting edge questions under Title IX and the due process clause, among other issues facing colleges and universities.
In addition to his appellate work, Chris represents clients in critical matters before trial courts. Chris was part of a team that obtained, following a bench trial, a favorable judgment on all issues in a case involving commercial real estate refinancing and appraisal. He was a member of the defense team in the largest auditor liability case ever to go to trial in the U.S., and he helped obtain a complete defense verdict for a medical device manufacturer in a federal criminal trial alleging off-label promotion.
Chris has a deep commitment to pro bono practice. He regularly represents immigration clients before the federal circuit courts of appeals. He was appointed by the Eleventh Circuit to represent an indigent plaintiff in a civil rights action. The court ruled unanimously in the client's favor just four days after oral argument, commending Chris for having "very ably represented" his client and noting the court's appreciation for Chris's "service to his client and the justice system."
Before joining the firm, Chris clerked for Judge D. Michael Fisher of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit and Judge Christopher C. Conner of the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania. Chris also worked in the litigation and appellate practices of two national firms in Washington, D.C., and served as the Ethics & Excellence in Journalism Fellow at the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press. Chris graduated 10th in his class from William & Mary Law School, where he was a notes editor for the William & Mary Law Review and a member of the moot court team, winning numerous intermural moot court competitions.
Appellate
Commercial Litigation
Higher Education
Articles + Publications
10.04.23
Ninth Circuit: Universities May Be Liable Under Title IX for Off-Campus Assaults
Firm News
08.08.23
Troutman Pepper Attorneys Named to 2022 Capital Pro Bono Honor Roll
Firm News
07.05.22
Troutman Pepper Attorneys Named to 2021 Capital Pro Bono Honor Roll
Firm News
06.27.22
Troutman Pepper Litigator Wins Third Circuit Immigration Case for Pro Bono Client
Articles + Publications
01.13.22
Third Circuit Rules Universities May Face Title IX Liability for Sexual Misconduct By Nonstudent Guests
Firm News
05.14.21
Troutman Pepper Attorneys Named to 2020 Capital Pro Bono Honor Roll