Chris’s practice focuses on business transactions, with a particular emphasis on real estate-related matters, including documenting loans for institutional construction and subordinate lenders, creating partnerships and limited liability companies for real estate developments, establishing condominiums and homeowners’ associations for developers, and advising businesses and individuals regarding leases, easements, covenants, and the purchase and sale of real property. Chris also advises companies on a variety of business law issues, including choice of business entity for startups, employment, partnership, and other contracts, assets sales, mergers and acquisitions.
Representative Matters
Documentation and closing of construction and subordinate loans for a leading construction lender operating nationwide, and preparation and negotiation of appropriate loan agreements, deeds of trust, inter-creditor and master developer subordination agreements and related documents.
Representation of lenders, borrowers, and equity investors in connection with the negotiation and documentation of workout and forbearance agreements for stressed real estate projects.
Retained as local counsel for several major commercial lenders financing projects in Washington State, including Merrill Lynch Capital, GE Capital, HSBC, HSH Nordbank.
Representation of developers establishing homeowners’ associations and new-construction and conversion condominiums, including incorporation of nonprofit owners’ associations, review and analysis of survey maps and plans, and preparation of declarations of covenants, conditions and restrictions, bylaws, rules and regulations, and related documents.
Representation of several smaller to mid-sized companies providing services ranging from architectural, to information and system management software, to furniture design and manufacturing, to indoor beach volleyball facilities, on a variety of legal issues such as corporate formation, partnership and limited liability company agreements, employment contracts, protection of trademarks and other intellectual property, negotiation of financing, and asset sales.
Articles and Presentations
Speaker and Panelist, NAIOP Vancouver Forum: "Canadian Investment in U.S. Real Estate; Considerations for Cross-Border Investement," Vancouver, BC, 2013.
Author, "Regulating Research on the Terminally Ill: A Proposal for Heightened Safeguards," Journal of Contemporary Health Law and Policy (1999).
Author, "Double Indemnity for Operators of Nuclear Facilities? In Re Hanford Nuclear Reservation Litigation, the Price Anderson Act, and the Government Contractor Defense," Washington Law Review (1997).
Professional and Civic Involvement
Water First International
Advisory Council
Board of Directors, 2010-2011
Washington State Bar Association
Real Estate Section
King County Bar Association
Honors / Awards / Prior Experience
Recognized as a “Rising Star” by Washington Law & Politics
Law Clerk to the Honorable William L. Dwyer, U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington, 1998-1999
Drafted federal regulations and assisted with the startup of the AmeriCorps national service program in Washington, D.C., 1993-1995
Education
J.D., University of Washington School of Law, with high honors, 1998
Order of the Coif
Executive Notes & Comments Editor, Washington Law Review, 1997-1998
Teaching Fellowship, 1996-1997
Scholarship for highest first-year grades, 1996
B.A., Columbia College, Columbia University, 1991
Bar/Court Admissions
Washington State Courts
U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington
Personal
I spend much of my free time trying to keep up with my kids. But whenever I have time (and my sore knees allow), I enjoy almost anything outdoors or athletic, including distance running, triathlons, boxing training, backpacking, and backcountry skiing. I am a daily bike commuter and have not had my own car for many years.
