Christopher Walther’s transactional practice focuses on corporate, business, and commercial real estate matters.

As a seasoned business attorney, Chris counsels clients on corporate organization, governance and restructuring (including mergers and acquisitions), as well as negotiating, drafting, interpreting, complying with and minimizing risk under a diverse range of business agreements and contracts. Chris aids commercial lenders and borrowers in negotiating, documenting, modifying and foreclosing on secured loans, and advises sellers, buyers, lessors and lessees in acquiring, financing, operating, leasing and selling commercial real and personal property. He has also developed a broad legal opinion letter practice, and his passion for this work has made him a sought-after attorney in this area.

With an enthusiasm for client service, Chris is adept helping his clients to identify their goals and make important legal decisions, often acting like an in-house counsel. Chris knows how to get answers — even if this means referring a matter to another attorney. Throughout Chris’s career as a business attorney, clients have relied on him to pinpoint the most important legal issues and recommend strategic solutions, giving them peace of mind and a clear blueprint to solve their problems. Typically, this process includes weighing and resolving the various litigation, employment, regulatory, gaming, intellectual property, tax and environmental concerns businesses often face.

Originally from Portland, Oregon, Chris graduated from Brown University, where he was a proud member of the 1999 Ivy League Champion Brown Bears football team and was selected to the 2002 Academic All-Ivy team. Chris returned to Oregon and earned his Juris Doctor degree from the University of Oregon School of Law. As an entrepreneurial business attorney, Chris chose to practice in Las Vegas for its tremendous diversity and potential. Outside the office, Chris enjoys spending time with his wife and two young boys.

• J.D., University of Oregon School of Law
• A.B., Brown University
• Executive/Staff Editor, Oregon Law Review, 2004-2006
• Varsity Football Team (1999 Ivy League Champions), 1999-2002
• Academic All-Ivy League, 2002
• All-Ivy League Tight End, Honorable Mention, 2002

OTHER EXPERIENCE

• Real Estate Finance and Lending

• Led the negotiations for the consignment and sale (via public auction) of the prestigious LeBron James Triple Logoman Basketball Card, the most expensive sports trading card ever to be pulled from its packaging and sold in the same year.
• Guided a financial institution in entering into a long-term naming rights and sponsorship agreement for a metropolitan, multi-purpose arena that is home to NCAA Division I men’s and women’s basketball teams
• Assisted a casino-resort owner with all aspects of the lease and subsequent multimillion-dollar sale of the underlying real property to the United States Air Force for national security purposes.
• Advised a real estate development company on the acquisition and development of real estate projects located throughout the country and financed by a complex arrangement of public and private funds.
• Counseled a residential apartment developer in obtaining and refinancing numerous loans from institutional lenders (including Freddie Mac loans), which efforts included negotiating loan document terms, performing due diligence, and delivering legal opinion letters.
• Successfully negotiated with government authorities regarding the placement of a temporary building wrap on a partially constructed hotel and casino project in order to improve the aesthetic experience of pedestrians on the Las Vegas strip.
• Restructured a former Las Vegas casino owner’s corporate subsidiaries through several mergers, conversions, and dissolutions in order to simplify the client’s ownership structure while achieving the client’s desired tax benefits.

• Best Lawyers in America®, Lawyer of the Year, Commercial Finance Law, 2023
• Best Lawyers in America^®, Commercial Finance Law, 2021-2024
• Best Lawyers in America^®, Real Estate Law, 2018-2024
• “Legal Elite,” Nevada Business Magazine, 2018-2019
• “Best Up and Coming Attorneys,” Nevada Business Magazine, 2013, 2015
• Mountain States Super Lawyers Rising Star^®, 2009, 2021
• National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame Scholar Athlete of the Year Scholarship (Portland, Oregon Chapter), 1998
• AV^® Preeminent ™ Peer Review Rated (the highest rating available), by Martindale-Hubbell

• Co-Author, Fennemore Notice To Clients – Corporate Transparency Act, Fennemore Client Alert, December 29, 2023
• Author, “5 Traps to Avoid When Selling CRE in Las Vegas Area,” Law360, December 14, 2023
• Author, “Traps for Sellers of Commercial Real Estate in Clark County,” Fennemore Blog, August 24, 2023
• Author, “What You Need to Know About Corporate Transparency in 2022,” The Nevada Independent, April 11, 2022
• Co-Author, “Bishop and Zucker on Nevada Corporations and Limited Liability Companies”
• Co-Author, “Doing Business in Nevada: A Practical Guide”
• Contributing Author, “State-by-State Guide to Commercial Real Estate Leases,” 2019-2022 Editions, Nevada Chapter

• Member, State Bar of Nevada
• Secretary and Board Member, Family Promise of Las Vegas
• Volunteer, Landlord/Tenant Ask-A-Lawyer Program, Legal Aid Center of Southern Nevada

• Nevada