Chris joins Geoff McDonald & Associates as a seasoned attorney with a robust background in civil litigation and criminal law. Chris spent 4.5 years in the Federal Sector, serving as a labor and employment attorney with both the Department of State and the Department of Defense. Chris routinely obtained superb results before the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB), and the Foreign Service Grievance Board (FSGB). Prior to serving in the Federal Government, Chris handled a wide variety of civil litigation matters in representing the City of Newport News and the County of Chesterfield for 5.5 years. Such experiences in local government included handling the foster care docket on behalf of the Newport News Department of Human Services, aggressively defending law enforcement officers and each respective locality in 42 U.S.C. Section 1983 cases involving alleged civil rights abuses, handling employee grievances and other employment law matters, litigating eminent domain actions, prosecuting codes enforcement litigation and animal control cases, reviewing conditional use permits, and collections matters.
In addition to the above, Chris effectively and zealously defended the City of Newport News and the County of Chesterfield against personal injury lawsuits involving both regular and specialized motor vehicles in each localities’ arsenal from school buses, to street sweepers, dump trucks, and police cruisers; as well as defended each respective locality in workers’ compensation cases. When it comes to Virginia cases, Chris is a subject matter expert on sovereign immunity involving localities.
Furthermore, Chris’ meticulous attention to detail made him an effective asset to local government as he reviewed thousands of contracts, helped advise and review procurement actions, served as the attorney responsible for reviewing and advising on Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests, and when reviewing other voluminous records associated with the cases that he litigated before all Virginia state courts, the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals for the United States, and the Supreme Court of the United States. While working in state government, Chris effectively navigated an overwhelming caseload as he defended the rights of the accused while serving with the Virginia Indigent Defense Commission in the Hampton Public Defender’s Office for over 2 years. In fact, Chris’ first job after passing the Virginia State Bar Exam was with Joannou & Associates, a plaintiff’s personal injury firm in Portsmouth, VA. During the course of his career, Chris handled thousands of cases and hundreds of bench and jury trials. Thus, by joining Geoff McDonald & Associates, Chris’s legal career has come full circle by returning to representing the injured in his personal injury practice.
Chris received his Juris Doctor from Regent University School of Law in Virginia Beach in 2012.
Chris graduated summa cum laude with two separate Bachelor’s in Arts degrees in Political Science and History, with a minor in Spanish, from Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State University (Virginia Tech) in 2009. To help fulfill Chris’ desire to experience different cultures and learn more about the world, Chris was blessed with the opportunity to study abroad in the United Kingdom and France during undergrad and law school.
Chris has a natural ability to connect with people of all backgrounds, having grown up as a military brat from a blue-collar family and as a first-generation college student. Despite experiencing challenges and tragedies during his personal life, Chris is a fighter who believes that the American dream is attainable to those who believe in the greatness of our country and who are willing to put in the work and effort to achieve success. Chris has a public servant’s heart with a work ethic that rivals individuals that work in Big Law. After defending localities in Personal Injury and Workers’ Compensation cases for many years, Chris is now eager to apply his expertise to help injured individuals obtain the recovery that they deserve.
Chris and his wife reside in Chesterfield with their “fur babies” and both are originally from Virginia Beach. When Chris is not fighting for his clients inside and outside of the courtroom, he enjoys traveling all over the world, enjoying Richmond’s amazing food scene, and cheering on the Virginia Tech Hokies.