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Chris was born in Laurel, Mississippi on April 15, 1960. He graduated third in his class from the University of Mississippi School of Law in May 1991 and was admitted to the Mississippi State Bar in September, 1991. Since his admission to the bar, Chris has developed an active litigation practice and an arson and fraud investigation practice. Chris is an instructor with the Mississippi Fire Investigators Association and is a frequent speaker on insurance litigation topics.
Chris lives in Tupelo, Mississippi and have five children - Mary, Jim, Katy, Rick and Luke - and two dogs, Cody and Casey.
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Education and Training
Juris Doctorate, University of Mississippi School of Law, Oxford, Mississippi (Magna Cum Laude, May 1991); Mississippi Law Journal; Mississippi Supreme Court Briefing Service; Moot Court Board; Phi Kappa Phi Fraternity; Phi Delta Phi Fraternity.
Bachelor of Arts, Mississippi State University, Starkville, Mississippi (Cum Laude, 1982); Computer Science major; Engineering and Mathematics minors Mississippi Fire Investigators Association training in fire cause and origin (1997-2005; 280 hours) International Association of Auto Theft Investigators training in vehicle theft investigation (2004; 16 hours) IAAI Seminar - "Investigation of Electrical Appliance Related Fires" (1999, 20 hours)
Publications
Insurance Coverage Law in Mississippi, Chapter 1 - "The Insurance Contract;" Chapter 2 - "First Party Coverage;" and Chapter 3 - "Third Party Coverage." (National Business Institute 2004)
The Moeller Muddle (Co-Author), 22 MDLA Quarterly No. 2, p. 3 (Sept. 1998) Mississippi Supreme Court Review - Civil Procedure, 60 MISS. L.J. (1990)
Reported Decisions
Mississippi Department of Transportation v. Johnson, 873 So. 2d 108 (Miss. 2004)
American National General Insurance Co. and State Farm Fire and Casualty Co. v. L. T. Jackson, 203 F. Supp. 674 (S. D. Miss. 2001) State Farm Fire and Casualty Co. v. Brewer, 914 F. Supp. 140 (S. D. Miss. 1996) Dominguez-Cota v. Cooper Tire & Rubber Co., 396 F.3d 650 (5th Cir. 2005)
Presentations
"Courtroom Testimony" - (Mississippi State Fire Academy, February 2005)
"Statements" - Evidence Gathering for the Fire Investigator (Mississippi State Fire Academy, February 2005)  "NFPA 921 - Tricks and Traps" (Mississippi Fire Investigators Association, November 2004) "Ding Dong Daubert" - Courtroom Testimony for the Fire Professional (Mississippi Fire Investigators Association, November 2004) "Insurance Coverage Law in Mississippi" (May 2004) "How to Prepare Your Case for Submission to the Grand Jury" (2002 Mississippi County Fire Investigators In-Service, August 2002) Guest Speaker - Mississippi State Fire Academy (August 2002) "How to Burn Your Home and Get Away With It" (Mississippi Fire Investigators Association, June 2002) "Mississippi Law Update - The Ten Crash Landings" (Mississippi Claims Association, January 2001) "Spoliation - Don’t Throw Your Case Out With the Trash" (Mississippi Fire Investigators Association, April 2000) "The Daubert Challenge to Fire Investigators" (Mississippi State Fire Academy, February 2000) "Mississippi Law Update" (Mississippi Claims Association, March 1999) "Current Developments in Fire Litigation Evidence" (Mississippi Fire Investigators Association, Spring Meeting 1998) "Mississippi Legal Topics" (State Farm Fire and Casualty Company Regional Claims Seminar, 1997) Counsel in bad faith - arson - insurance fraud mock trial (Mississippi Fire Investigators Association, Fire and Arson School 1997) "Duty to Defend Under Mississippi Law" (Mississippi Claims Association Education Seminar, July 1997) "Bad Faith in Light of Mississippi Insurance Regulations" (University of Mississippi Insurance Symposium, February 1997) "Preparing Your Case for Submission to the Prosecuting Attorney, Grand Jury, and for Trial" (Mississippi County Arson Investigators Recertification Training)
Professional Memberships
Mississippi State Bar Association Lee County Bar Association Bar Association of the Fifth Federal Circuit Mississippi Defense Lawyers Association Mississippi Claims Association International Association of Arson Investigators, Inc. National Fire Protection Association Mississippi Fire Investigators Association (legal counsel) Association of Certified Fraud Examiners
Other Memberships and Affiliations
Commanding Officer, 182d MP Co. (MSSG)
American Legion (U. S. Army, active duty; Mississippi Army National Guard 1984-1990) District Appeals Judge, United States Selective Service, Region II Mississippi Economic Council Mississippi Manufacturers Association Community Development Foundation Tupelo Main Street Association U.S.A. Certified Stroke and Turn Official Calvary Baptist Church - RA Leader Cub Scout Den Leader - Pack 85
Practice Venues
United States Supreme Court
United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit United States District Courts for the Northern and Southern Districts of Mississippi All Mississippi state courts
Primary Practice Areas
Arson and Fraud Investigation and Litigation
Property Insurance Insurance Defense Insurance Coverage Products Liability Defense Asbestosis Defense
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