Chris practices in the areas of environmental, toxic tort and commercial litigation. He has extensive experience with complex, multi-party, multi-claim litigation, including class actions and mass actions. He has represented product manufacturers, waste disposal entities and employers in a variety of toxic tort and environmental matters involving groundwater contamination, airborne emissions and workplace exposure to toxic chemicals. In these contexts, Chris has counseled clients and has defended claims for personal injuries, medical surveillance damages and property damage.

Chris also has extensive experience in the representation of private clubs. This experience involves not only litigation, but also representation on transactional matters involving governance documents and member relations.

In addition, Chris has defended clients against governmental enforcement actions and citizen suits under various federal and state environmental statutes, including but not limited to the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA), the Water Quality Assurance Revolving Fund (WQARF), the Clean Water Act, the Safe Drinking Water Act and the Underground Storage Tank Act. He has assisted his clients in obtaining insurance coverage for various types of claims, including those involving environmental and toxic tort liabilities.

Chris has also represented clients for more than thirty years in various forms of dispute resolution involving prescriptive rights, property diminution claims and issues arising from commercial and residential real estate development. Chris served as a Judge Pro Tempore for the Maricopa County Superior Court for approximately 20 years, where he gained extensive experience as a mediator. He supplemented this experience with studies at the Strauss Institute for Dispute Resolution at Pepperdine University.

Away from work, Chris enjoys watching Sun Devil football, and enjoying all of the outdoor activities offered by the great State of Arizona.

• J.D., University of California, Los Angeles School of Law
• B.S., Arizona State University
• Order of the Coif
• Internship, The Honorable William Matthew Byrne, U.S. District Court, Southern District of California, 1983
• Clerkship, The Honorable Anthony M. Kennedy, U.S. Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit, 1984-1985

OTHER EXPERIENCE

• Business and Personal Injury Torts
• Litigation
• Mediation and Arbitration
• Product Liability
• Real Estate Litigation

• Best Lawyers in America^®, Commercial Litigation, Litigation – Environmental, Mass Tort Litigation, Class Actions – Defendants, Product Liability Litigation – Defendants, 2013-2025
• Southwest Super Lawyers^®, Environmental Litigation, 2014-2021
• Benchmark Litigation, Local Litigation Star, 2012-2019
• Best Lawyers^®, Lawyer of the Year, Mass Tort Litigation/Class Actions-Defendants, 2015
• Arizona’s Top Lawyers, Alternative Dispute Resolution, AZ Business Magazine, 2014
• AV^® Preeminent™ Peer Review Rated (the highest rating available), by Martindale-Hubbell

• Best Lawyers in America^®, Mass Tort Litigation/Class Actions – Defendants, 2023
• Quoted, “Business Briefcase,” Peoria Times, May 21, 2020

• Member, State Bar of Arizona
• Former Judge Pro Tempore, Maricopa County Superior Court

• Arizona
• U.S. District Court, District of Arizona
• U.S. Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit