Chris represents clients in primarily pharmaceutical, medical device and other complex litigation matters in federal and state courts. His extensive experience extends from pre-lawsuit resolution efforts through the appellate process in large-scale product liability and commercial litigation. Chris is known for providing thoughtful, creative and steady counsel to help clients with effective risk mitigation and crisis management strategies.
Before returning to Shook, Chris was the head of Litigation and Legal Compliance at Eli Lilly and Company. There he led the team responsible for global general litigation including product liability litigation, commercial litigation, class actions, APA challenges, FCA litigation, state attorney general litigation, congressional inquiries and hearings, formal and informal federal and state agency inquiries, securities and shareholder litigation, Lanham Act litigation and Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) litigation. He defeated and/or successfully resolved several MDLs and mass torts through defense verdicts, motions for summary judgments and motions to exclude experts. Chris also led global privileged investigations and civil justice reform efforts.
A frequently requested speaker at conferences and seminars, Chris has presented on variety of topics including multidistrict litigation (MDL) reform, diversity and inclusion in the legal profession, bellwether selection process, amendments to the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure (FRCP), legal and ethical considerations for in-house counsel and strategies for pharmaceutical and medical device litigation. He has also provided guest lectures at law schools on pharmaceutical and other complex litigation issues and strategies.
Chris has served as co-chair of Shook’s Mentoring Task Force, and as a member of the firm’s Search Committee.
Publications and Presentations
A Prescription for Pharmaceutical Preemption, Washington Legal Foundation, September 7, 2023 (with Philip S. Goldberg).
A Prescription for Pharmaceutical Preemption, Rutgers Journal of Law & Public Policy, Vol 20:2, Spring 2023 (with Philip S. Goldberg and Sarah O'Rourke).
Hot Topics from the Heads of Litigation, LCJ, Moderator, May 5, 2022.
Mini-Roundtable: Drug and Medical Device Litigation, Corporate Disputes, January – March 2022 (with Jennifer Hill, Stephanie McGraw and Benjamin Walther).
Corporate Counsel Roundtable Panel, Lawyers for Civil Justice (LCJ) Membership Meeting, Nashville, December 2, 2021.
Early Assessment of Claims Can Help Reduce the MDL Tax, Washington Legal Foundation, March 19, 2020 (with Matthew Hamilton, Mary Margaret Spence and Jason Kurtyka).
Keeping the Lid on Pandora’s Box: Using Traditional Limits on Liability to Defend Corporate Defendants Against Civil Liability Based on Criminal Misuse of Legal Products, 8:8, at 16, Mealey’s Personal Injury Report, October 24, 2011 (with Marie Woodbury and William Northrip).