Overview

A very strong trial lawyer who knows how to read a room. He has exceptional client management skills and really knows how to read a case." - Litigation: General Commercial client, Chambers USA

Practice Areas

Chris focuses his practice on civil litigation matters, including business disputes, product liability claims, transportation law, employment litigation, and corporate investigations. He has successfully defended businesses through trial and arbitration throughout the United States, with over 75 bench and jury trials to date. This experience includes representing closely held and publicly traded companies and their insurers in complex and catastrophic litigation.

Chris’ passion for law began in his youth, inspired by a desire to advocate for others and make an impact in the courtroom. His dream was realized early in his career as a Cuyahoga County Assistant Prosecutor, bringing valuable courtroom and jury insight to his practice. In his role as prosecutor, he was a first-chair trial attorney in adult felony cases, including white collar crime, drug trafficking, and capital murders. He also led corporate investigations and investigations into criminal enterprises.

Chris is dedicated to helping clients and forming long-term relationships, whether through proactive risk mitigation or successfully advocating for them in court.

Chris was elected by fellow partners as Frantz Ward’s first Managing Partner in 2017 and is involved in establishing the firm’s strategic direction and leading its day-to-day operations.

Practice Areas

Representative Experience

  • Serve as national trial counsel throughout the United States for America’s largest family-owned and operated food and hospitality provider with a fleet of over 1,300 semi-trucks and box trucks operating in 38 states.
  • Serve as national trial counsel for a national provider of commercial truck bodies in product liability and personal injury claims arising out of transportation accidents.
  • Part of national coordinating counsel teams representing multiple portable gas can manufacturers for product liability claims across the United States.
  • Part of the national coordinating counsel team that handled product liability and mass tort claims across the United States for a multinational, publicly traded company.
  • Obtained $750,000 in damages for a regional health care client in a dispute involving the defendant’s failure to make payments under several contractual agreements between the parties, including counterclaims by the defendant that were completely dismissed by the arbitrator.
  • Secured a defense verdict on behalf of a major medical center involving the alleged wrongful termination and malicious prosecution claims of a former employee who was found not guilty of allegedly assaulting one of her employer’s private police officers.
  • Secured a defense verdict on behalf of a major medical center involving an employee-police officer who claimed he had been wrongfully terminated for allegedly enforcing the laws of Ohio.
  • As the sole trial lawyer for the defendant, successfully obtained a directed verdict after cross-examination of the plaintiff on a case where a bankrupt brewery was suing an angel investor for causing the bankruptcy and seeking over $2 million in damages.
  • As the sole trial lawyer for the defendant, received multiple defense verdicts on behalf of an automobile manufacturer on product liability claims in state courts throughout Ohio.
  • Successfully obtained summary judgment on behalf of a $1 billion diversified energy company involving one of its semi-trucks involved in a horrific collision with the defendant’s semi-truck, including overcoming the defendant’s driver’s assertion of the sudden emergency defense.
  • Successfully resolved a matter before trial for a $9 billion manufacturer after being retained a mere six weeks before trial to replace the manufacturer’s counsel in a case involving a multimillion-dollar exposure arising out of an alleged defective product that caused permanent injuries to the plaintiff.
  • Successfully resolved potential litigation involving a national product recall claim for a major national provider of commercial truck bodies so that another company in the supply chain had to ultimately take on responsibility and indemnification for the recall.

Education & Admissions

Education

  • Case Western Reserve University School of Law, J.D., 1996
  • The Ohio State University, B.S., 1993

Bar and Court Admissions

  • State of Ohio
  • U.S. District Court, Northern District of Ohio
  • U.S. District Court, Southern District of Ohio

Involvement

Professional Affiliations

  • Defense Research Institute (DRI), Member
  • Ohio Association of Civil Trial Attorneys, Member
  • Cleveland Association of Civil Trial Attorneys, Member
  • Transportation Lawyers Association, Member
  • ALFA International, Steering Committee, Transportation
  • Judicial Conference of Eighth Judicial District, Life Member
  • American Bar Association, Litigation Section, Member
  • Ohio State Bar Association, Litigation Section, Member
  • Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Association, Member
    • Continuing Criminal Justice Reform Group for the Racial Equality and the Law (REAL) Working Groups, Co-Chair (2021 — Present)
    • Council on Conscious Inclusion (2021 — Present)
    • Bench-Bar Committee (2019 — Present)

Community Involvement

  • Cleveland Leadership Center, Board of Trustees (2024 — Present)
  • Greater Cleveland Sports Commission, Trustee (2018 — Present)
  • Empowering and Strengthening Ohio’s People (ESOP), Board Member (2016 — 2022)
  • Leadership Cleveland 2 (LC2), Fellow (Class of 2016)
  • Cleveland Leadership Center, Leadership Cleveland (Class of 2015)
  • Metro Catholic School, Board Member (2011 — 2018)
  • Lakewood Board of Zoning Appeals, President (2001 — 2006)

Firm Involvement

  • Management Committee, Managing Partner (2014 – Present)

 

Awards & Honors

  • Ranked by Chambers USA in Litigation: General Commercial category (2024)
  • Recognized by Cleveland Magazine Cleveland 500 list (2022 – Present)
  • Recognized by Ohio Super Lawyers (2018 – Present)
  • Recognized by The Best Lawyers in America® in Commercial Litigation, Litigation – Labor and Employment, and Product Liability Litigation – Defendants (2019 – Present)
  • Listed as AV Preeminent® Peer Review Rated by Martindale-Hubbell

Publications

Presentations & Lectures

  • “Beyond Feedback: Decoding Client Satisfaction Surveys – A Panel Discussion”, ALFA Managing Partner Forum, Chicago, IL (June 2024)
  • “Move On Up! Transportation Elevated – Counsel’s Conundrum:  Cracking the Code of Client Expectations”, ALFA Transportation Practice Group Seminar, Colorado Springs, CO (May 2024)
  • “Litigation Considerations in Internal and External Investigation,” The Institute of Internal Auditors Northeast Chapter “NEO Fraud Day” (February 2023)
  • “COVID Commentary: Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) – Loan Forgiveness: Tips, Tricks and Updates,” Frantz Ward Webinar (September 2020)
  • “COVID Commentary: Payroll Protection Program (PPP) – Updates and Lessons Learned for Round 2 and Keys to Forgiveness for Both Rounds,” Frantz Ward Webinar (April 2020)
  • “COVID Commentary: Back to Business – Part 2: Resuming Your Business Operations,” Frantz Ward Webinar (April 2020)
  • “Trucking 20/20: Seeing Outside the Black Box – Finding ‘Other’ Black Boxes and Sources of Evidence, and Their Issues”, ALFA Transportation Seminar, Fort Lauderdale, FL (April 2020)
  • “Ethical Ways to Combat Reptile Tactics,” Frantz Ward Litigation Seminar, Cleveland, OH (September 2019)
  • “Lessons From the Trenches with The Honorable Janet R. Burnside and The Honorable John J. Russo,” Frantz Ward Litigation Panel Series, Cleveland, OH (September 2018)
  • “Trial Tactics,” Frantz Ward’s How to Outsmart the Reptile Theory in All Phases of Litigation Advanced Training, Cleveland, OH (March 2018)
  • “How to Protect Your Company and Corporate Representative Against the Reptile Theory,” Moderator, Frantz Ward Litigation Panel Series, Cleveland, OH (November 2017)
  • “Tools to Tell the Company’s Story: Effective Use of Drivers, Safety Directors, and the Company’s Safety Records,” ALFA International Transportation Practice Group Seminar, Scottsdale, AZ (May 2017)
  • “Corporate Investigations – An Instant Replay of (Potentially) Illegal Procedures,” Frantz Ward Litigation Panel Series, Cleveland, OH (October 2016)
  • “Swinging the Sword: Conducting Effective/Proactive Internal Investigations,” ALFA International-International Client Seminar, Palm Springs, CA (March 2016)
  • “Effective Internal Investigations: From Workplace Harassment to Criminal Conduct and Everything In-Between,” The Ohio Manufacturers’ Association, Cleveland, OH (July 2015)
  • “Conducting Effective Internal Investigations in the U.S. and Abroad,” Northeast Ohio Association of Corporate Counsel, Cleveland, OH (March 2015)
  • “Effective Internal Investigations: From Workplace Harassment to Criminal Conduct and Everything In-Between,” Crain’s Cleveland Business, Webinar (December 2014)
  • “The EOBR Embrace: Knowledge Is Power as EOBRs Revolutionize The Industry,” ALFA International, Tucson, AZ (May 2013)
  • “What Was That Jury Thinking? Here’s Your Chance to Get the Real Scoop,” ALFA International, Amelia Island, FL (May 2012)

 

Media Coverage  

Representative Experience

  • Serve as national trial counsel throughout the United States for America’s largest family-owned and operated food and hospitality provider with a fleet of over 1,300 semi-trucks and box trucks operating in 38 states.
  • Serve as national trial counsel for a national provider of commercial truck bodies in product liability and personal injury claims arising out of transportation accidents.
  • Part of national coordinating counsel teams representing multiple portable gas can manufacturers for product liability claims across the United States.
  • Part of the national coordinating counsel team that handled product liability and mass tort claims across the United States for a multinational, publicly traded company.
  • Obtained $750,000 in damages for a regional health care client in a dispute involving the defendant’s failure to make payments under several contractual agreements between the parties, including counterclaims by the defendant that were completely dismissed by the arbitrator.
  • Secured a defense verdict on behalf of a major medical center involving the alleged wrongful termination and malicious prosecution claims of a former employee who was found not guilty of allegedly assaulting one of her employer’s private police officers.
  • Secured a defense verdict on behalf of a major medical center involving an employee-police officer who claimed he had been wrongfully terminated for allegedly enforcing the laws of Ohio.
  • As the sole trial lawyer for the defendant, successfully obtained a directed verdict after cross-examination of the plaintiff on a case where a bankrupt brewery was suing an angel investor for causing the bankruptcy and seeking over $2 million in damages.
  • As the sole trial lawyer for the defendant, received multiple defense verdicts on behalf of an automobile manufacturer on product liability claims in state courts throughout Ohio.
  • Successfully obtained summary judgment on behalf of a $1 billion diversified energy company involving one of its semi-trucks involved in a horrific collision with the defendant’s semi-truck, including overcoming the defendant’s driver’s assertion of the sudden emergency defense.
  • Successfully resolved a matter before trial for a $9 billion manufacturer after being retained a mere six weeks before trial to replace the manufacturer’s counsel in a case involving a multimillion-dollar exposure arising out of an alleged defective product that caused permanent injuries to the plaintiff.
  • Successfully resolved potential litigation involving a national product recall claim for a major national provider of commercial truck bodies so that another company in the supply chain had to ultimately take on responsibility and indemnification for the recall.

Education & Admissions

Education

  • Case Western Reserve University School of Law, J.D., 1996
  • The Ohio State University, B.S., 1993

Bar and Court Admissions

  • State of Ohio
  • U.S. District Court, Northern District of Ohio
  • U.S. District Court, Southern District of Ohio

Involvement

Professional Affiliations

  • Defense Research Institute (DRI), Member
  • Ohio Association of Civil Trial Attorneys, Member
  • Cleveland Association of Civil Trial Attorneys, Member
  • Transportation Lawyers Association, Member
  • ALFA International, Steering Committee, Transportation
  • Judicial Conference of Eighth Judicial District, Life Member
  • American Bar Association, Litigation Section, Member
  • Ohio State Bar Association, Litigation Section, Member
  • Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Association, Member
    • Continuing Criminal Justice Reform Group for the Racial Equality and the Law (REAL) Working Groups, Co-Chair (2021 — Present)
    • Council on Conscious Inclusion (2021 — Present)
    • Bench-Bar Committee (2019 — Present)

Community Involvement

  • Cleveland Leadership Center, Board of Trustees (2024 — Present)
  • Greater Cleveland Sports Commission, Trustee (2018 — Present)
  • Empowering and Strengthening Ohio’s People (ESOP), Board Member (2016 — 2022)
  • Leadership Cleveland 2 (LC2), Fellow (Class of 2016)
  • Cleveland Leadership Center, Leadership Cleveland (Class of 2015)
  • Metro Catholic School, Board Member (2011 — 2018)
  • Lakewood Board of Zoning Appeals, President (2001 — 2006)

Firm Involvement

  • Management Committee, Managing Partner (2014 – Present)

 

Awards & Honors

  • Ranked by Chambers USA in Litigation: General Commercial category (2024)
  • Recognized by Cleveland Magazine Cleveland 500 list (2022 – Present)
  • Recognized by Ohio Super Lawyers (2018 – Present)
  • Recognized by The Best Lawyers in America® in Commercial Litigation, Litigation – Labor and Employment, and Product Liability Litigation – Defendants (2019 – Present)
  • Listed as AV Preeminent® Peer Review Rated by Martindale-Hubbell

Publications

Presentations & Lectures

  • “Beyond Feedback: Decoding Client Satisfaction Surveys – A Panel Discussion”, ALFA Managing Partner Forum, Chicago, IL (June 2024)
  • “Move On Up! Transportation Elevated – Counsel’s Conundrum:  Cracking the Code of Client Expectations”, ALFA Transportation Practice Group Seminar, Colorado Springs, CO (May 2024)
  • “Litigation Considerations in Internal and External Investigation,” The Institute of Internal Auditors Northeast Chapter “NEO Fraud Day” (February 2023)
  • “COVID Commentary: Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) – Loan Forgiveness: Tips, Tricks and Updates,” Frantz Ward Webinar (September 2020)
  • “COVID Commentary: Payroll Protection Program (PPP) – Updates and Lessons Learned for Round 2 and Keys to Forgiveness for Both Rounds,” Frantz Ward Webinar (April 2020)
  • “COVID Commentary: Back to Business – Part 2: Resuming Your Business Operations,” Frantz Ward Webinar (April 2020)
  • “Trucking 20/20: Seeing Outside the Black Box – Finding ‘Other’ Black Boxes and Sources of Evidence, and Their Issues”, ALFA Transportation Seminar, Fort Lauderdale, FL (April 2020)
  • “Ethical Ways to Combat Reptile Tactics,” Frantz Ward Litigation Seminar, Cleveland, OH (September 2019)
  • “Lessons From the Trenches with The Honorable Janet R. Burnside and The Honorable John J. Russo,” Frantz Ward Litigation Panel Series, Cleveland, OH (September 2018)
  • “Trial Tactics,” Frantz Ward’s How to Outsmart the Reptile Theory in All Phases of Litigation Advanced Training, Cleveland, OH (March 2018)
  • “How to Protect Your Company and Corporate Representative Against the Reptile Theory,” Moderator, Frantz Ward Litigation Panel Series, Cleveland, OH (November 2017)
  • “Tools to Tell the Company’s Story: Effective Use of Drivers, Safety Directors, and the Company’s Safety Records,” ALFA International Transportation Practice Group Seminar, Scottsdale, AZ (May 2017)
  • “Corporate Investigations – An Instant Replay of (Potentially) Illegal Procedures,” Frantz Ward Litigation Panel Series, Cleveland, OH (October 2016)
  • “Swinging the Sword: Conducting Effective/Proactive Internal Investigations,” ALFA International-International Client Seminar, Palm Springs, CA (March 2016)
  • “Effective Internal Investigations: From Workplace Harassment to Criminal Conduct and Everything In-Between,” The Ohio Manufacturers’ Association, Cleveland, OH (July 2015)
  • “Conducting Effective Internal Investigations in the U.S. and Abroad,” Northeast Ohio Association of Corporate Counsel, Cleveland, OH (March 2015)
  • “Effective Internal Investigations: From Workplace Harassment to Criminal Conduct and Everything In-Between,” Crain’s Cleveland Business, Webinar (December 2014)
  • “The EOBR Embrace: Knowledge Is Power as EOBRs Revolutionize The Industry,” ALFA International, Tucson, AZ (May 2013)
  • “What Was That Jury Thinking? Here’s Your Chance to Get the Real Scoop,” ALFA International, Amelia Island, FL (May 2012)

 

Media Coverage  

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