Chris has extensive experience in commercial and tort litigation, representing clients on the plaintiff and defense sides of the docket.  His commercial clients have ranged from large multi-national high tech companies and state agencies to individuals and “mom and pop” businesses.   Prior to rejoining Graves, Dougherty in 2007 after a fifteen year hiatus, Chris was a partner in a small personal injury firm in Austin, where he practiced exclusively on the plaintiff’s side of the docket.  His keen understanding of the plaintiff personal injury practice has been put to good use at Graves, Dougherty.  Chris continues to selectively represent seriously injured individuals in tort cases but also has defended, and continues to defend, firm clients that have found themselves on the opposite side of such claims.  Representative cases on the defense side include a wrongful death claim against an institution of higher learning, a wrongful death claim against a deceased local business owner’s estate, and a serious injury premises liability case against a prominent local restaurant chain.

In addition to commercial and tort litigation, Chris also has experience in, and enjoys, probate litigation, having represented estates and individual claimants as well as trustees accused of breach of fiduciary duty.

Chris is recognized by his peers as an accomplished litigator.  He is A.V. rated by Martindale-Hubbell and was elected to membership in the Austin Chapter of the American Board of Trial Advocates.  He is also adept at conflict resolution outside the courtroom.  He puts these skills to use for his litigation clients and also as a member of the adjunct faculty at the Baylor University School of Law in Waco, where he teaches a class on Alternative Dispute Resolution.

Chris strongly believes in giving back to his community. In addition to service on non-profit boards, he keeps a docket of pro bono cases referred by Volunteer Legal Services of Central Texas, Texas C-BAR and the Capital Area AIDS Legal Project, among others.