Chris founded the firm’s Philadelphia Litigation Group in 1978 and served as its head until 1988. He was named the Firm’s Senior Pro Bono Counsel in 2005, a full-time position overseeing the day-to-day operations of the Firm’s Pro Bono Program. Before 2005, Chris handled the trials and appeals of complex commercial cases, including construction, product liability, fraud, and intellectual property cases.
Pro bono matters often supplemented his commercial practice. As examples, Chris was lead counsel in Meyers v. Pennypack Woods 559 F.2d 894 (3rd Cir. 1977) (reversing lower court’s refusal to find racial discrimination in housing) and Commonwealth v. Bradley Martin, C.C.P. Lebanon Co., Nos. 1993-10899 and 11079 (2004) (death sentence vacated in 2004; resentenced to life in 2015). Chris also served as Philadelphia trial counsel, pro bono, in In re Nomination Paper, 860 A.2d 1 (2004) (finding 30,000 fraudulent signatures, Pennsylvania courts removed Ralph Nader from Presidential ballot).